Bernard's Blog (creative title pending...)

2010 Movie Review List

2011-12-10T02:00:00.001-05:00

2010 Movies:

127 Hours: 10/10
30 Days of Night: Dark Days: 4/10
A-Team, The: 7/10
Agora: 7/10
Alice in Wonderland: 3/10
All Good Things: 5/10
American, The: 9/10
Animal Kingdom: 8/10
Assassin Next Door, The [Kirot]: 4/10
Babies: 5/10
Back-Up Plan, The: 1/10
Barney's Version: 6/10
Batman: Under the Red Hood: 6/10
Black Swan: 9/10
Blue Valentine: 8/10
Book of Eli, The: 6/10
Bounty Hunter, The: 2/10
Brooklyn's Finest: 5/10
Buried: 6/10
Burlesque: 6/10
Cairo Time: 8/10
Call Girl, A [Slovenka]: 5/10
Calvin Marshall: 7/10
Carlos: 10/10
Case 39: 2/10
Casino Jack and the United States of Money: 4/10
Cemetery Junction: 4/10
Centurion: 7/10
Charlie St. Cloud: 4/10
Chloe: 5/10
Chronicles of Narnia, The: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader: 5/10
Clash of the Titans: 6/10
Company Men, The: 8/10
Cop Out: 4/10
Crazies, The: 8/10
Creation: 5/10
Crimson Wing, The: Mystery of the Flamingos: 7/10
Damage: 4/10
Date Night: 7/10
Daybreakers: 4/10
Dear John: 5/10
Death at a Funeral: 6/10
Descent, The: Part 2: 5/10
Despicable Me: 8/10
Devil: 5/10
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: 7/10
Dinner for Schmucks: 5/10
Disappearance of Alice Creed, The: 8/10
District 13: Ultimatum [Banlieue 13 - Ultimatum]: 6/10
Dogtooth [Kynodontas]: 7/10
Due Date: 7/10
Easy A: 7/10
Eat Pray Love: 3/10
Edge of Darkness: 8/10
Exit Through the Gift Shop: 9/10
Expendables, The: 5/10
Extraordinary Measures: 4/10
Fair Game: 6/10
Faster: 5/10
Fighter, The: 8/10
Flipped: 7/10
From Paris with Love: 6/10
Frozen: 5/10
Get Him to the Greek: 7/10
Get Low: 6/10
Ghost Writer, The: 9/10
Girl who Played with Fire, The [Flickan som lekte med elden]: 5/10
Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The [Män som hatar kvinnor]: 8/10
Going the Distance: 6/10
Greatest, The: 5/10
Green Zone: 5/10
Greenberg: 5/10
Grown Ups: 4/10
Gulliver's Travels: 2/10
Halo Legends: 4/10
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1: 9/10
Hereafter: 4/10
Holy Rollers: 7/10
Hot Tub Time Machine: 6/10
How Do You Know: 7/10
How to Make Love to a Woman: 1/10
How to Train Your Dragon: 8/10
Human Centipede, The (First Sequence): 5/10
Hunt to Kill: 3/10
I Love You Phillip Morris: 7/10
I Spit on Your Grave: 3/10
I'm Still Here: 7/10
Inception: 9/10
Ip Man [Yip Man]: 7/10
Iron Man 2: 8/10
It's Kind of a Funny Story: 7/10
Jackass 3D: 7/10
Jonah Hex: 4/10
Joneses, The: 7/10
Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths: 5/10
Karate Kid, The: 7/10
Kick-Ass: 8/10
Kids Are All Right, The: 8/10
Killer Inside Me, The: 6/10
Killers: 3/10
King's Speech, The: 10/10
Knight and Day: 7/10
Knucklehead: 2/10
Last Airbender, The: 2/10
Last Exorcism, The: 7/10
Last Song, The: 6/10
Leap Year: 4/10
Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole: 6/10
Legendary: 5/10
Legion: 5/10
Let Me In: 9/10
Letters to Juliet: 6/10
Little Fockers: 5/10
Losers, The: 7/10
MacGruber: 4/10
Machete: 5/10
Marmaduke: 4/10
Middle Men: 4/10
Monsters: 9/10
Morning Glory: 7/10
My Dog Tulip: 6/10
Never Let Me Go: 8/10
Next Three Days, The: 6/10
Nightmare on Elm Street, A: 3/10
Nowhere Boy: 7/10
Oceans: 7/10
Ondine: 7/10
Operation: Endgame: 4/10
Other Guys, The: 8/10
Oxford Murders, The: 6/10
Paranormal Activity 2: 4/10
Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief: 5/10
Perrier's Bounty: 6/10
Piranha 3D: 8/10
Planet Hulk: 3/10
Please Give: 7/10
Predators: 7/10
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time: 6/10
Promise, The: The Making of Darkness on the Edge of Town: 7/10
Prophet, A [Un prophète]: 8/10
Rabbit Hole: 8/10
Red: 7/10
Red Baron, The [Der rote Baron]: 5/10
Red Riding: In the Year of Our Lord 1974: 8/10
Red Riding: In the Year of Our Lord 1980: 6/10
Remember Me: 5/10
Repo Men: 7/10
Resident Evil: Afterlife: 6/10
Restrepo: 9/10
Robin Hood: 6/10
Runaways, The: 5/10
Salt: 8/10
Saw 3D: 5/10
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: 9/10
Secret in Their Eyes, The [El secreto de sus ojos]: 9/10
Secret of Kells, The: 8/10
Secretariat: 6/10
Sex and the City 2: 2/10
Sharktopus: 3/10
She's Out of My League: 6/10
Shinjuku Incident [San suk si gin]: 7/10
Shrek Forever After: 7/10
Shutter Island: 9/10
Skyline: 2/10
Social Network, The: 10/10
Solitary Man: 8/10
Somewhere: 7/10
Sorcerer's Apprentice, The: 7/10
Special Relationship, The: 7/10
Splice: 3/10
Spy Next Door, The: 3/10
Step Up 3D: 4/10
Stolen: 4/10
Superman/Batman: Apocalypse: 5/10
Survival of the Dead: 3/10
Switch, The: 5/10
Tangled: 8/10
TiMER: 5/10
Tooth Fairy: 3/10
Town, The: 10/10
Toy Story 3: 10/10
Triage: 5/10
TRON: Legacy: 6/10
True Grit: 9/10
Twilight Saga: Eclipse, The: 6/10
Unstoppable: 8/10
Valentine's Day: 4/10
Valhalla Rising: 3/10
Vampires Suck: 1/10
Waking Sleeping Beauty: 7/10
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps: 4/10
Way Back, The: 9/10
When in Rome: 4/10
Winning Season, The: 7/10
Winter's Bone: 9/10
Wolfman, The: 4/10
You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger: 3/10
Youth in Revolt: 5/10

2010 Short Films:

Day and Night: 7/10
DC Showcase: Green Arrow: 8/10
DC Showcase: Jonah Hex: 7/10
DC Showcase: Superman/Shazam!: The Return of Black Adam: 5/10
DC Showcase: The Spectre: 7/10
Plastic Bag: 8/10
Red Dead Redemption: 3/10
Scrat's Continental Crack-Up: 6/10

Top 10 of 2010 (so far):
Honorable Mentions: The Ghost Writer, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, The American, Restrepo, Monsters, Rabbit Hole, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, Black Swan, El secreto de sus ojos, Exit Through the Gift Shop, The Way Back, Winter's Bone, Red Riding: In the Year of Our Lord 1974, The Crazies, Never Let Me Go, The Fighter, Unstoppable, Kick-Ass, Blue Valentine, Un prophète, Iron Man 2, How to Train Your Dragon, Animal Kingdom, Tangled, The Kids Are All Right, The Company Men
10. Let Me In
9. True Grit
8. Inception
7. Shutter Island
6. Carlos
5. The King's Speech
4. The Social Network
3. The Town
2. Toy Story 3
1. 127 Hours

2011 Academy Award Predictions

2011-02-27T17:11:00.002-05:00

Below are my rankings for the Top 40 Films of 2010 along with my predictions for the Academy Awards. I've ranked all the nominees I've seen by my preference in the category, then alphabetically for those I have not. I listed my prediction for the win, a possible spoiler and which film should have been recognized in each category (so if I list three 'should have been here' contenders it means I would replace the bottom three candidates in my ranking of the nominees with those to form my ideal ballot).

Best Picture:

1. 127 Hours
2. Toy Story 3
3. The Social Network
4. The King's Speech
5. Inception
6. True Grit
7. Black Swan
8. Winter's Bone
9. The Fighter
10. The Kids are All Right

Will Win: The King's Speech
Could Win: The Social Network
Should Have Been Here: The Town, Shutter Island, Carlos, Let Me In

An amazing year in the category, for once I genuinely liked every nominee.

Best Director

1. David Fincher, The Social Network
2. Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan
3. Joel and Ethan Coen, True Grit
4. Tom Hooper, The King's Speech
5. David O. Russell, The Fighter

Will Win: David Fincher
Could Win: Tom Hooper
Should Have Been Here: Danny Boyle, 127 Hours; Christopher Nolan, Inception; Martin Scorsese, Shutter Island

Best Actor

1. James Franco, 127 Hours
2. Colin Firth, The King's Speech
3. Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network
4. Jeff Bridges, True Grit
Javier Bardem, Biutiful

Will Win: Colin Firth
Could Win: null
Should Have Been Here: Leonardo DiCaprio, Shutter Island; Andrew Garfield, Red Riding: In the Year of Our Lord 1974; Edgar Ramirez, Carlos

Best Actress

1. Natalie Portman, Black Swan
2. Jennifer Lawrence, Winter's Bone
3. Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine
4. Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole
5. Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right

The only poor selection here would be Bening who wasn't even the best female lead in her movie (Julianne Moore gave a far more interesting performance)

Will Win: Natalie Portman
Could Win: Annette Bening
Should Have Been Here: Rachel Weisz, Agora; Anne Hathaway, Love and Other Drugs; Emma Stone, Easy A; Chloe Moretz, Let Me In; Patricia Clarkson, Cairo Time

Best Supporting Actor

1. Geoffrey Rush, The King's Speech
2. Jeremy Renner, The Town
3. Mark Ruffalo, The Kids Are All Right
4. Christian Bale, The Fighter
5. John Hawkes, Winter's Bone

Another superb set of nominees, all are deserving

Will Win: Christian Bale
Could Win: Geoffrey Rush
Should Have Been Here: Andrew Garfield, The Social Network; Joe Anderson, The Crazies

Best Supporting Actress

1. Amy Adams, The Fighter
2. Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit
3. Jacki Weaver, Animal Kingdom
4. Helena Bonham Carter, The King's Speech
5. Melissa Leo, The Fighter

Sadly, it looks like Melissa Leo is going to win for a scenery chewing over the top performance.

Will Win: Melissa Leo
Could Win: Hailee Steinfeld, Helena Bonham Carter
Should Have Been Here: Mila Kunis, Black Swan; Olivia Williams, The Ghost Writer; Soledad Villamil, The Secret in Their Eyes; Mia Wasikowski, The Kids Are All Right

Best Animated Film

1. Toy Story 3
2. How to Train Your Dragon
The Illusionist

Will Win: Toy Story 3
Could Win: null
Could Have Been Here: Tangled, Despicable Me

Best Foreign Language Film

1. Dogtooth (Greece)
Biutiful (Mexico)
In a Better World (Denmark)
Incendies (Canada)
Outside the Law (Algeria)

Will Win: Biutiful
Could Win: In a Better World
Should Have Been Here: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Sweden)

Best Documentary Feature

1. Restrepo
2. Exit Through the Gift Shop
Gasland
Inside Job
Waste Land

Will Win: Inside Job
Could Win: Exit Through the Gift Shop
Should Have Been Here: Waking Sleeping Beauty

Best Original Screenplay

1. The King's Speech
2. The Kids Are All Right
3. The Fighter
4. Inception
Another Year

Will Win: The Kids Are All Right
Could Win: The King's Speech
Should Have Been Here: Black Swan, Monsters, Carlos

Best Adapted Screenplay

1, Toy Story 3
2. 127 Hours
3. The Social Network
4. True Grit
5. Winter's Bone

Will Win: The Social Network
Could Win: null
Should Have Been Here: The Town

Best Art Direction

1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
2. True Grit
3. Inception
4. The King's Speech
5. Alice in Wonderland

Will Win: Inception
Could Win: The King's Speech
Should Have Been Here: Black Swan, Shutter Island, The Wolfman

Best Cinematography

1. True Grit
2. Black Swan
3. Inception
4. The Social Network
5. The King's Speech

Will Win: True Grit
Could Win: The King's Speech
Should Have Been Here: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, 127 Hours, Shutter Island, The Way Back

Best Film Editing

1. 127 Hours
2. The Social Network
3. Black Swan
4. The King's Speech
5. The Fighter

Will Win: The Social Network
Could Win: The King's Speech
Should Have Been Here: Inception, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Shutter Island

Best Visual Effects

1. Inception
2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
3. Iron Man 2
4. Alice in Wonderland
5. Hereafter

Will Win: Inception
Could Win: Alice in Wonderland
Could Have Been Here: Scott Pilgrim vs the World, The Social Network

Best Original Score

1. 127 Hours, A.R. Rahman
2. The Social Network, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
3. Inception, Hans Zimmer
4. How to Train Your Dragon, John Powell
5. The King's Speech, Alexandre Desplat

Will Win: The Social Network
Could Win: Inception
Should Have Been Here: Never Let Me Go, Rachel Portman; TRON: Legacy, Daft Punk; Toy Story 3, Randy Newman; Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, Alexandre Desplat

Best Original Song

1. "I See the Light" (Tangled)
2. "We Belong Together" (Toy Story 3)
3. "If I Rise" (127 Hours)
4. "Coming Home" (Country Strong)

Will Win: "I See the Light"
Could Win: "If I Rise," "We Belong Together"
Should Have Been Here: "Eclipse: All Yours" (The Twilight Saga: Eclipse)

Best Sound Editing

1. TRON: Legacy
2. Inception
3. Unstoppable
4. True Grit
5. Toy Story 3

Will Win: Inception
Could Win: True Grit
Should Have Been Here: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, 127 Hours, How to Train Your Dragon

Best Sound Mixing

1. Inception
2. Salt
3. True Grit
4. The Social Network
5. The King's Speech

Will Win: Inception
Could Win: Salt
Should Have Been Here: TRON: Legacy, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, 127 Hours, Shutter Island, The Crazies

Best Costume Design

1. True Grit
2. The King's Speech
3. Alice in Wonderland
I Am Love
The Tempest

Will Win: The King's Speech
Could Win: Alice in Wonderland
Should Have Been Here: Black Swan, Robin Hood, The Way Back, The Wolfman

Best Makeup

1. The Wolfman
2. Barney's Version
3. The Way Back

Will Win: The Wolfman
Could Win: Barney's Version
Should Have Been Here: Black Swan

Best Animated Short

1. Day and Night
The Gruffalo
Let's Pollute
The Lost Thing
Madagascar, a Journey Diary

Will Win: Madagascar, a Journey Diary
Could Win: any
Should Have Been Here: DC Showcase: Green Arrow

Best Live Action Short

The Confession
The Crush
God of Love
Na Wewe
Wish 143

Will Win: The Confession
Could Win: any
Should Have Been Here: Paper Bag

Best Documentary Short

Killing in the Name
Poster Girl
Strangers No More
Sun Come Up
The Warriors of Qiugang

Will Win: The Warriors of Qiugang
Could Win: Strangers No More
Should Have Been Here: (Abstain)

Top 40 Movies of 2011
40. Agora
39. Edge of Darkness
38. The Disappearance of Alice Creed
37. Salt
36. Cairo Time
35. The Company Men
34. The Kids Are All Right
33. Tangled
32. Animal Kingdom
31. How to Train Your Dragon
30. Iron Man 2
29. A Prophet (Un prophète)
28. Blue Valentine
27. Kick-Ass
26. Unstoppable
25. The Fighter
24. Never Let Me Go
23. The Crazies
22. Red Riding: In the Year of Our Lord 1974
21. Winter's Bone
20. The Way Back
19. Exit Through the Gift Shop
18. The Secret in Their Eyes (El secreto de sus ojos)
17. Rabbit Hole
16. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
15. Black Swan
14. Monsters
13. Restrepo
12. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
11. The Ghost Writer
10. Let Me In
9. True Grit
8. Inception
7. Shutter Island
6. Carlos
5. The King's Speech
4. The Social Network
3. The Town
2. Toy Story 3
1. 127 Hours

Super Bowl Movie Commercials

2011-02-07T12:48:00.000-05:00

The Eagle (February 11)*

Sadly, the ads make The Eagle look like a lightweight version of Gladiator starring the very un-Roman Channing Tatum. They'd be better suited emphasizing the quality of filmmaker involved (director Kevin MacDonald also made State of Play and The Last King of Scotland) and the top flight supporting cast (Donald Sutherland, Jamie Bell, Mark Strong, Tahir Rahim) instead of poorly trying to pander to fans of dumb action movies. Also, I can't imagine many Americans would understand what the significance of 'the' eagle is to a Roman soldier so why not either keep the film's original title (The Eagle of the Ninth) or come up with something stupider to pander to American audiences.

Just Go With It (February 11)*

Better than those horrific Facebook status inspired commercials that litter the airwaves lately, the Just Go With It Super Bowl commercial at least seems to sell the movie's box office strengths: Adam Sandler-style humor and Brooklyn Decker in a bikini. It does look like a step-up from the last few more family friendly (Grown Ups and Bedtime Stories) and serious (Funny People) Adam Sandler movies. Interesting that the marketing department has completely removed Nicole Kidman from the trailers and commercials as she has one of the film's largest roles.

Justin Bieber: Never Say Never (February 11)**

Absolutely no interest here, but credit should go to the marketing department for making this at least appear to be a Bieber biopic instead of just another overpriced 3D concert film (like Miley Cyrus, The Jonas Brothers, U2 and The Rolling Stones in recent years).

I Am Number Four (February 18)*
<a href="http://msn.foxsports.com/video?vid=d7ebe3a0-1f95-4505-91ec-d619a3cc0d83" target="_new" title="">Dreamworks: 'I Am Number Four'</a>
I believe I Am Number Four is supposed to feel like the epic start of a new franchise but it justs seems a bit dull. The lead actor, Alex Pettyfer, seems to lack any of the necessary charisma to carry an action movie. At least this spot emphasizes great TV actor Timothy Olyphant, but I can't imagine he is going to put many asses in theater seats.

Drive Angry: Shot in 3D (February 25)*

It seems remarkable to me that in the course of two months Nicolas Cage could have two of the worst movies ever released. At the very least this one seems to be embracing a spirit of trashy fun more than Season of the Witch. However, they've done nothing in the marketing to suggest this is the sort of movie that merits the extra money for 3D despite the commercial begging otherwise.

The Adjustment Bureau (March 4)*

I have no idea why they're advertising this as a trashy scifi action movie. The movie is full of damn good actors (Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, John Slattery, Terrence Stamp, Anthony Mackie) and is every bit as much a love story as an action movie. If they bring the focus back to the Damon-Blunt love story and try to appeal to a more upscale viewer I think they'd have a far better shot at making some money.

Rango (March 4)

To Rango's credit, it sports the only unique look and style of the many animated movies marketed last night. With an appearance that seems computer generated by way of Ray Harryhausen creations (think: the original Clash of the Titans) and a relatively funny trailer I think Rango's marketing is right on to capture a broad audience.

Take Me Home Tonight (March 4)**

Didn't this movie come out last year under the title Hot Tub Time Machine, only with funnier actors? Seems like nothing more than a bland 80s-set sex comedy with an unappealing lead actor.

Battle: Los Angeles (March 11)*

Late last year a movie was released called Skyline. The directors of Skyline are special effects gurus who created new effects technology for use in Battle: Los Angeles. They then re-utilized that technology and cranked out the atrocious Skyline in just a few months. By making another aliens invade Los Angeles movie, they're effectively undercutting the movie that bankrolled the creation of the new effects technology. Thankfully, it looks like Battle: Los Angeles has exciting and unique enough commercials to sell this premise. The commercial hits all the right notes, giving the viewer a look at the lead actors, the plot and the action. More importantly, the effects look impressive enough that it has more of a summer 'feel' than the typical March movie so it should play out like a major event at the box office.

Mars Needs Moms (March 11)
<a href="http://msn.foxsports.com/video?vid=d7ebe3a0-1f95-4505-91ec-d619a3cc0d83" target="_new" title="">Dreamworks: 'I Am Number Four'</a>
Using the lifeless zombie animation style of film's like The Polar Express and Beowulf and sporting a broad, bland sense of humor, Mars Needs Moms looks like an absolute dud.

Limitless (March 18)

Bradley Cooper as a smarmy guy who knows everything seems like perfect casting, De Niro looks motivated and Kanye music fits the premise extremely well. I wouldn't be at all surprised if the movie is awful, but for now I'm sold.

Hop (April 1)*

One of the worst previews of the night, Hop's commercial told us basically nothing about the film's plot or premise. The animation style seems bland and Song 2 by Blur was a better fit in trailers nearly15 years ago when paired with movies like Starship Troopers.

Rio (April 15)

Another nominee for worst commercials of the night, Rio looks colorful but the trailer tells us next to nothing about what to expect from the movie. With so much animation on the schedule, movies need to stand out and Rio utterly fails to.

Fast Five (April 29)

I didn't particularly care for Fast & Furious (the series' 4th film), but for some reason I find myself pretty excited for the sequel. Throwing in some parkour and The Rock seem like good moves to keep the enjoyably trashy series strong. An impressive money shot at the end of the commercial of Diesil and Walker jumping out of a car flying off a cliff and 'The Summer Begins' tagline make for a solid way to sell Fast Five as an event movie.

Thor (May 6)

I want to be excited for this movie SO badly, but the marketing so far just isn't really hitting home for me. I think that the movie is fantastically well cast, that Kenneth Branagh is an inspired choice of director and that the efforts to link Thor into the upcoming Avengers movie should keep it from getting to fantasy-esque. But this commercial is just kind of uninspiring. A lot of mediocre CGI (what the hell is that creature at the end of the commercial?), hokey costumes and unimpressive action are making me pretty nervous about Thor.

Priest (May 13)*

Why is this January junk being released during the summer?!? The same star and director as 2010's mediocre January Legion, along with a weaker supporting cast and a 3D post-conversion that is all but certain to damage eyeballs, make Priest look like a disaster on the horizon.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (May 20)

I like that the commercials seems to emphasize that gone are the convoluted plots of Pirates 2 and 3, replaced by a back to basics approach that hearkens backs to the superb original film. I can't quite put my fingers on it - I don't know if it's the fact that Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley are gone or the change in director to Rob Marshall (Chicago) from Gore Verbinski - but something about this trailer leaves me a bit uninspired. Maybe the sequels have already done too much damage to the franchise.

Kung Fu Panda 2 (May 27)*

The commercials is a decent enough play on the classic sports anthem 'We Will Rock You' and the character is likable enough that the movie watchable. I don't understand Dreamworks' hubris with this series though - they've already planned for 5 sequels.

Super 8 (June 10)

Seemingly I'm in the minority, but the trailer for J.J. Abrams' Super 8 was a big hit for me. Intended as a tribute to Steven Spielberg's early career, Super 8's commercial manages to evoke E.T., Jaws and Close Encounters of the Third Kind in just 30 seconds. Not a great idea about the exact plot, but it's clear enough some sort of creature escapes from a train in a 70s town. Nice to see a summer movie starring role for Kyle Chandler, so good on Friday Night Lights.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon (July 1)

The big surprise of the night for me. Like most, I hated Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, but I've been cautiously optimistic about the fact that Michael Bay seems to recognize the many ways the first Transformers sequel went astray. The Super Bowl commercials was basically 30 seconds of Chicago getting absolutely ravaged by Transformers, capped off by an impressive long take shot of Optimus Prime fighting his way through the city streets. Michael Bay can still craft some of the most impressive action scenes in Hollywood and, mercifully, this dark commercial suggests a stark move away from the horrifically stupid humor of Transformers 2.

Captain America: The First Avenger (July 22)

The trailer was a tiny bit of a disappointment for me. I loved the designs and the World War II setting (director Joe Johnston previously made The Rocketeer and was a key art director and special effects designer for the original Star Wars and Indiana Jones series), but the action seemed somewhat unimpressive. Tough to tell much of anything about Chris Evans' performance (he says five words in the trailer), but it does sadly seems like his signature humor will be part of the role. Cautiously optimistic about Captain America at this point.

Cowboys and Aliens (July 29)

The director of Iron Man (Jon Favreau) plus the star of Casino Royale and, arguably, the greatest 'event movie' actor of all time equals a movie for which I'm damn excited. Despite the dumb title, Cowboys and Aliens looks like it's going to sport a motivated Harrison Ford, top flight action, a great supporting cast (Sam Rockwell, Olivia Wilde, Paul Dano, Keith Carradine, Walton Goggins) and some fantastically bizarre creature and set designs. Cowboys and Aliens is probably the movie I'm most excited for in the summer of 2011 and this commercial only strengthened that notion.

* denotes a movie trailer that aired before the Super Bowl
** denotes a movie trailer that aired during the post-Super Bowl episode of Glee

The Real Razzies

2011-01-24T22:01:00.006-05:00

In honor of the Razzies Nominee announcement I've decided to post my own nominees for the worst movies of 2010. My problem with the Razzies is that they only nominate movies that the film snob and geek communities are supposed to hate, which leads to a decent movie like The Twilight Sage: Eclipse getting the most nominations or Jessica Alba getting nominated for a damn fine performance (in The Killer Inside Me, alongside three other roles). More importantly, they're afraid to go after the real film making disasters: when credible and legitimate talent makes garbage (Alice in Wonderland, I'm looking at you).

I should say that there are many 2010 movies that I have no doubt are truly awful that I have not seen.

Worst Picture
* Alice in Wonderland
* The Back-Up Plan
* The Bounty Hunter
* Case 39
* Knucklehead
* The Last Airbender
* Sex and the City 2
* Skyline
* Survival of the Dead
* Vampires Suck

Vampires Suck is the best movie yet from the "film-making" team of Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer. Regardless, it's still the worst movie of 2010. It seems surreal to me that there used to be funny spoof movies (like The Naked Gun or Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery) because the Friedberg/Seltzer combo has so thoroughly destroyed the genre with masterpieces like Date Movie, Epic Movie, Meet the Spartans, Disaster Movie and, of course, Vampires Suck.

Special notice goes to Alice in Wonderland, Sex and the City 2 and The Last Airbender for all finishing in the year's top 30 films at the box office and, in the process, shaking my faith in the viability of the American dream.

Also a special notice goes to How to Make Love to a Woman, the teen comedy starring Ken Jeong (The Hangover), Krysten Ritter ("Breaking Bad") and Ian Somerholder ("Lost"), for being the worst straight-to-DVD release of 2010 and the second worst movie I saw all year.

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, Splice and You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger just miss the list because good work by the performers is enough to just slightly elevate piss poor material.

Worst Actor
* Brendan Fraser, Extraordinary Measures
* Garrett Hedlund, TRON: Legacy
* Robert Pattinson, Remember Me
* Noah Ringer, The Last Airbender
* Kenneth Welsh, Survival of the Dead

I don't actually think Robert Pattinson is all that bad an actor, but his Marlon Brando impersonation (why the character should be a Brando impersonation, I have no idea) in Remember Me is one of the most histrionic and awful performances I've ever seen - an easy win for the worst of 2010. I also wanted to make sure to point out the weak link in the otherwise watchable TRON: Legacy, Garrett Hedlund. I disliked his work enough that I now retroactively have a far lesser appreciation for Friday Night Lights.

Worst Actress
* Emma Bell, Frozen
* Katherine Heigl, Killers
* Jennifer Lopez, The Back-Up Plan
* Sarah Jessica Parker, Sex and the City 2
* Renée Zellwegger, Case 39

The "winner" here is Jennifer Lopez for leading up one of the worst romantic comedies I've ever seen. I find myself thinking Frozen could have been a really great movie if it had some better performances.

Worst Supporting Actor
* Nicolas Cage, Kick-Ass
* Josh Gad, Love and Other Drugs
* Jason Patric, The Losers
* Jackson Rathbone, The Last Airbender
* Shawn Roberts, Resident Evil: Afterlife

I genuinely liked Kick-Ass and Love and Other Drugs so it saddens me to include them here. I actually kind of like Nicolas Cage (when he's properly motivated he's quite a great actor ala Leaving Las Vegas), but I have no idea what the hell he was trying to do here. Shawn Roberts is one of the least intimidating 'bad ass' villains I've ever seen in a movie. But Josh Gad was special. His was, easily, the single worst performance I saw all year (in many years, in fact). His immature, broad and downright creepy 'comedic' performance did EVERYTHING in its power to derail Love and Other Drugs and to sabotage the top flight performances of the film's leads. I have no idea why Edward Zwick cast him and I truly hope to never see another Josh Gad performance.

Worst Supporting Actress
* Cate Blanchett, Robin Hood
* Katie Cassidy, A Nightmare on Elm Street
* Brittany Daniel, Skyline
* Nicola Peltz, The Last Airbender
* Ninette Tayib, The Assassin Next Door [Kirot]

Cate Blanchett is a great actress, which might be why her performance in Robin Hood was so embarrassing. Cast as some sort of tough guy version of Maid Marion (with a full set of armor naturally), her character is reduced to rolling around drowning in a beach's surf during the film's climax... because the armor is too heavy for her to stand up in.

A few other minor awards:
Worst Special Effects in a Major Release: Daybreakers
Worst On-Screen Couple: Robin Hood
Worst Editing in a Major Release: The Expendables
Worst Use of Condescending to the Audience: Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
Worst Garbage Masquerading as an Art Film: Valhalla Rising
Worst Use of a Great Cast: Eat Pray Love
Worst Release Pattern that Sabotaged the Release of a Legitimately Good Movie: The Way Back
Worst Use of 3D: Clash of the Titans
Worst Use of 9/11 as a Manipulative Plot Device: Remember Me
Worst Incentive to Travel in Germany: The Human Centipede (First Sequence)

And the Nominees Should Be...

2011-01-03T11:56:00.017-05:00

Best Picture
* 127 Hours
* Carlos
* Inception
* The King's Speech
* Let Me In
* Shutter Island
* The Social Network
* The Town
* Toy Story 3
* True Grit
Next Ten: Black Swan, Exit Through the Gift Shop, The Ghost Writer, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, Monsters, Restrepo, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, The Secret in Their Eyes, The Way Back, Winter's Bone

Best Director
* Ben Affleck, The Town
* Danny Boyle, 127 Hours
* Gareth Edwards, Monsters
* Martin Scorsese, Shutter Island
* Edgar Wright, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Next Five: Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan), Olivier Assayas (Carlos), David Fincher (The Social Network), Christopher Nolan (Inception), Matt Reeves (Let Me In)

Best Actor
* Leonardo DiCaprio, Shutter Island
* Colin Firth, The King's Speech
* James Franco, 127 Hours
* Andrew Garfield, Red Riding: In the Year of Our Lord 1974
* Edgar Ramirez, Carlos
Next Five: Jeff Bridges (True Grit), Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network), Colin Farrell (Ondine), Mel Gibson (Edge of Darkness), Joaquin Phoenix (I'm Still Here)

Best Actress
* Patricia Clarkson, Cairo Time
* Anne Hathaway, Love and Other Drugs
* Chloe Moretz, Let Me In
* Emma Stone, Easy A
* Rachel Weisz, Agora
Next Five: Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone), Rachel McAdams (Morning Glory), Radha Mitchell (The Crazies), Natalie Portman (Black Swan), Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit)

Best Supporting Actor
* Joe Anderson, The Crazies
* Andrew Garfield, The Social Network
* Jeremy Renner, The Town
* Mark Ruffalo, The Kids Are All Right
* Geoffrey Rush, The King's Speech
Next Five: Christian Bale (The Fighter), Andrew Garfield (Never Let Me Go), Jon Hamm (The Town), Barry Pepper (True Grit), Justin Timberlake (The Social Network)

Best Supporting Actress
* Amy Adams, The Fighter
* Mila Kunis, Black Swan
* Soledad Villamil, The Secret in Their Eyes
* Mia Wasikowska, The Kids Are All Right
* Olivia Williams, The Ghost Writer
Next Five: Jessica Alba (The Killer Inside Me), Alicja Bachleda (Ondine), Rosamund Pike (Barney's Version), Michelle Williams (Shutter Island), Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World)

Best Original Screenplay
* Michael Arndt, Toy Story 3
* Olivier Assayas and Dan Franck, Carlos
* Gareth Edwards, Monsters
* Andre Heinz, Mark Heyman and John J. McLaughlin, Black Swan
* David Seidler, The King's Speech

Best Adapted Screenplay
* Ben Affleck, Peter Craig and Aaron Stockard, The Town
* Michael Bacall and Edgar Wright, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
* Simon Beaufoy and Danny Boyle, 127 Hours
* Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, True Grit
* Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network

Best Foreign Language Film (My nominees are based on 2010 U.S. release dates which is not how the real system works)
* Carlos [France]
* The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo [Män som hatar kvinnor, Sweden]
* A Prophet [Un Prophète, France]
* The Secret in Their Eyes [El secreto de sus ojos, Argentina]
* Shinjuku Incident [San suk si gin, Hong Kong]

Best Documentary Feature
* Exit Through the Gift Shop
* Oceans
* The Promise: The Making of Darkness on the Edge of Town
* Restrepo
* Waking Sleeping Beauty

Best Animated Film
* How to Train Your Dragon
* Tangled
* Toy Story 3

Best Editing
* Jonathan Amos and Paul Machliss, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
* Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall, The Social Network
* Jon Harris, 127 Hours
* Thelma Schoonmaker, Shutter Island
* Lee Smith, Inception

Best Cinematography
* Russell Boyd, The Way Back
* Enrique Chediak and Anthony Dod Mantle, 127 Hours
* Roger Deakins, True Grit
* Bob Richardson, Shutter Island
* Eduardo Serra, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1

Best Art Direction
* Black Swan
* Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
* Shutter Island
* True Grit
* The Wolfman

Best Visual Effects
* Inception
* Iron Man 2
* Monsters
* Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
* TRON: Legacy

Best Original Score
* Daft Punk, TRON: Legacy
* Alexandre Desplat, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
* Randy Newman, Toy Story 3
* Rachel Portman, Never Let Me Go
* A.R. Rahman, 127 Hours

Best Song
* Eclipse: All Yours, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
* I See the Light, Tangled
* If I Rise, 127 Hours
* Kick-Ass, Kick-Ass
* We Belong Together, Toy Story 3

Best Sound Mixing
* 127 Hours
* The Crazies
* Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
* Shutter Island
* TRON: Legacy

Best Sound Editing
* 127 Hours
* How to Train Your Dragon
* Inception
* Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
* TRON: Legacy

Best Costume Design
* Black Swan
* Robin Hood
* True Grit
* The Way Back
* The Wolfman

Best Makeup
* Barney's Version
* Black Swan
* The Wolfman

Nomination Count
127 Hours: 10
Shutter Island: 7
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: 6
Black Swan: 5
Toy Story 3: 5
True Grit: 5
Carlos: 4
Inception: 4
The King's Speech: 4
The Social Network: 4
The Town: 4
TRON: Legacy: 4
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1: 3
Let Me In: 3
Monsters: 3
The Wolfman: 3
The Crazies: 2
How to Train Your Dragon: 2
The Kids Are All Right: 2
The Secret in Their Eyes: 2
Tangled: 2
The Way Back: 2
Agora: 1
Barney's Version: 1
Cairo Time: 1
Easy A: 1
Exit Through the Gift Shop: 1
The Fighter: 1
The Ghost Writer: 1
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: 1
Kick-Ass: 1
Love and Other Drugs: 1
Never Let Me Go: 1
Oceans: 1
The Promise: The Making of Darkness on the Edge of Town: 1
A Prophet: 1
Red Riding: In the Year of Our Lord 1974: 1
Restrepo: 1
Robin Hood: 1
Shinjuku Incident: 1
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse: 1
Waking Sleeping Beauty: 1

Bonus Categories (Not actual Academy Award Categories)

Best Ensemble
* Inception (Leonardo DiCaprio, Marion Cotillard, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tom Hardy, Ellen Page, Ken Watanabe, Cillian Murphy, Michael Caine, Pete Postlethwaite)
* Shutter Island (Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Michelle Williams, Max von Sydow, Emily Mortimer, Patricia Clarkson, Jackie Earle Haley, Elias Koteas)
* The Social Network (Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake, Armie Hammer, Rooney Mara)
* The Town (Ben Affleck, Jeremy Renner, Jon Hamm, Rebecca Hall, Blake Lively, Chris Cooper, Pete Postlethwaite)
* True Grit (Jeff Bridges, Hailee Steinfeld, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, Barry Pepper)

Best Scene
* 127 Hours - James Franco cuts off his arm and the aftermath
* Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 - Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson share a dance in a quiet moment
* Inception - Joseph Gordon-Levitt's rotating gravity fight scene
* Shutter Island - Leonardo DiCaprio remembers Michelle Williams by the lake
* Toy Story 3 - The toys hold hands in the incinerator

Breakthrough Filmmaker
* Banksy, Exit Through the Gift Shop
* Juan José Campanella, The Secret in Their Eyes
* Gareth Edwards, Monsters
* Debra Granik, Winter's Bone
* Lee Unkrich, Toy Story 3

Breakthrough Performer
* Andrew Garfield, Never Let Me Go, Red Riding: In the Year of Our Lord 1974, Red Riding: In the Year of Our Lord 1980, Red Riding: In the Year of Our Lord 1983 and The Social Network
* Aaron Johnson, The Greatest, Kick-Ass and Nowhere Boy
* Chloe Moretz, Kick-Ass and Let Me In
* Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit
* Mia Wasikowska, Alice in Wonderland and The Kids Are All Right

Valentine's Day Review

2010-12-10T15:58:00.002-05:00

The Plot:
- Valentine's Day attempts to interweave the stories of a number of singles and couples over the course of one Valentine's Day - starting in the morning and ending at midnight.

The Good:
- The cast is one of the most impressive in a film in years. The film's poster alone lists 19 names, easily enough to populate a handful of movies. Almost all of the actors seem to try to elevate the material as much as possible in limited screen time.
- Jennifer Garner and Ashton Kutcher have the most effective narrative arcs, not coincidentally because they have the most screen time.
- Eric Dane's plot line has a genuinely funny and memorable conclusion.

The Bad:
- Almost every character is little more than a caricature. There's almost so much good actors can do with underwritten, one note characters in limited screen time.
- Some of the plots (Topher Grace's, for one) are pretty painful to sit through.
- Taylor Swift + acting = disaster.
- It feels like a slightly more cohesive New York, I Love You or Paris, je t'aime.

The Verdict:
- Is it the worst romantic comedy of 2010? No. Is it amusing to watch all these big stars in one movie? Sure, but it never goes beyond that. The characters never come to life as anything more than a variety of cameos by actors we like better in other movies.

Overall Score: 4/10

Edge of Darkness Review

2010-12-09T11:18:00.000-05:00

The Plot:
- A homicide detective (Mel Gibson) investigates the murder of his daughter and stumbles into a far larger conspiracy.

The Good:
- Sadly, Edge of Darkness underperformed at the box office because of all the (deserved) negative publicity surrounding Mel Gibson. Gibson, however, delivers one of the best performances of his career, far better than the pulpy material deserves. Even in his mid-50s Gibson is entirely credibly in action scenes. More importantly, he manages to deftly balance the sadness inherent in losing a child and the pure rage that drives him to find those responsible. The performance is most effective in the small genuine moments, such as a flashback to Gibson lightheartedly making a shaving cream beard on his daughter.
- Ray Winstone, as always, brings fantastic gravity to the movie. His scenes with Gibson are absolutely electric.
- Martin Campbell, director of Casino Royale, Goldeneye and Mask of Zorro, is one of the most competent directors working today in terms of staging action scenes. Each shot flows logically from the one prior and it's entirely possible to grasp the exact location and scale of all the moving pieces of a scene.
- Nice work in limited screen time by Bojana Novakovic who plays Gibson's daughter.

The Bad:
- The conspiracy theory plot, which dominates the film's second half, feels weak and out of place. The film was adapted from a six hour British serial drama so, perhaps, something was lost in translation.
- The often effective Danny Huston seems wasted in a smarmy role as the boss of the evil Halliburton-esque corporation behind the conspiracy.

The Verdict:
- While the film itself works as a solid action movie, the second half is muddled by an emphasis on the less compelling conspiracy aspects. The whole thing would have worked better as a pure revenge thriller. Mel Gibson, however, does such fantastic work with the material that I believe he deserves legitimate award consideration (which will, of course, never happen). Writing this in December of 2010, I still see Gibson's work as some of the finest of the year. Perhaps inspired by his nearly 8 year hiatus from starring roles, Gibson brings fantastic intensity and commitment to his character. I hope that people are someday able to separate Gibson the actor from Gibson the person so that his work can receive the credit it deserves.

Overall Score: 8/10

Banlieue 13 - Ultimatum [District 13: Ultimatum] Review

2010-12-09T10:47:00.000-05:00

The Plot:
District 13: Ultimatum reunites the lead actors from 2004's District B13 in another parkour based action flick to prevent the French government from annihilating the Parisian ghettos. Patrick Alessandrin steps in to replace Pierre Morel who has moved on to bigger budget Hollywood productions (Taken, From Paris with Love).

The Good:
- The action scenes are compelling enough to carry the viewers attention. Inspired by the martial art of parkour (or free running), the characters literally jump off buildings and run up walls. The grace and athleticism involved in the art and stunt work (also seen in movies like Casino Royale, Live Free or Die Hard and The Bourne Ultimatum) is absolutely astounding.
- The lead actors, David Belle (the creator of parkour) and Cyril Raffaelli (a poor man's Jason Stahthem), are appealing enough to carry the non-action scenes.

The Bad:
- The plot is some sort of ridiculous nonsense involving a variety of ethnic gangs uniting to, more or less, stage a coup.
- The supporting performances are lacking, at best.
- The editing and lensing of the actions scenes is a step down from those of the original. Morel had a better feel than Alessandrin for when to move the camera or cut during one of the action scenes without taking away from the impressive stunt work.

The Verdict:
- If you have any interest in parkour, martial arts or top flight stunt work, the movie is worth seeing. Less so if you need a competent plot or performances to enjoy a movie.
- A worthy, but inferior, successor to District B13.

Overall Score: 6/10

The Book of Eli Review

2010-12-09T10:29:00.000-05:00

The Plot:
- A nomad named Eli (Denzel Washington) fights his way across post-apocalyptic America carrying a tome that is supposed to hold the hope for humanity's salvation.

The Good:
- One of the finest character actors in the business, Gary Oldman delivers yet another interesting role. His sneering deliveries liven up every scene.
- The film crafts a convincing and effective post-apocalyptic world.
- Creatively crafted action scenes keep things interesting, as does the competent camera work and cinematography.
- A nice little role for Ray Stevenson (HBO's Rome) as Oldman's top henchman.

The Bad:
- The ending twist is more than a little absurd.
- Mila Kunis lacks credibility as an action heroine.
- Denzel seems a bit bored by the material.
- The action scenes are poorly edited to the point where it's sometimes difficult to tell what's going on.

The Verdict:
- Worth seeing for Oldman's amusing antagonist performance and a well-designed film world, just don't expect anything profound.

Overall Score: 6/10

Top 101 Movies of the Decade (30-26)

2010-10-20T12:42:00.013-04:00

30. Good Night, and Good Luck (George Clooney, 2005)

As a society we have a tendency to look back at the 1950s as an ideal time in American history. We had just defeated the evil of the Nazis and had become the heroes in the battle of wills with the godless communist menace. A lot of our imagery of the era comes from film and television programming like Leave it to Beaver: the perfect family pursuing the American dream of the suburbs and a white picket fence. It goes further: we think of greasers and preppies, quaint television sets, Elvis, and children (humorously) undergoing nuclear bomb drills in schools. The early parts of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, regardless of the issues in the later section of the film, really tap into these sort of memories.

But there's another side of the 1950s: McCarthy, racism, women's suffrage, House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), the growth of drug use and post-war alcoholism. The more interesting movies about the 50s reside in these areas, those that attack and deconstruct the mythos of the 50s. No film of the last decade more effectively played with the ideas of the 50s than Good Night, and Good Luck.

Set in the core era of the fear-mongering of Joseph McCarthy, George Clooney's film deals with the efforts of broadcaster Edward R. Murrow to bring honest political debate about the efficacy and legitimacy of McCarthy's tactics. First Murrow defends, on the air, an Air Force lieutenant named Milo Radulovich. McCarthy accuses the serviceman of being a closet communist because his sister is liberal and his father still receives a newspaper from his homeland of Serbia - Morrow takes McCarthy to task for the absurdity of his accusations and creates a public battle that helps lead to McCarthy's political downfall.

Dealing with such a delicate topic, one that could easily devolve into pedantic politicized histrionics, George Clooney shows a sure hand. His direction is restrained, professional and designed to get the best out of his actors. The screenplay, by Clooney and Grant Heslov, is fantastically constructed. Clooney draws top shelf performances out of Robert Downey, Jr., Jeff Daniels and Patricia Clarkson. But, perhaps, the greatest gem of the movie is the lead performance of David Straithairn. To most film goers Straithairn is a 'that guy' actor: someone a viewer recognizes and appreciates but can't quite place where they know him from - perhaps as the head of the prostitution service in L.A. Confidential or as Theseus in A Midsummer Night's Dream. His roles were predominantly small, but effective, bits of film and television. Clooney, however, had the wisdom to see Straithairn's talent and reward him with the lead role here. And Straithairn delivered one of the best performances of the decade; a performance which was rightfully nominated for the best actor Academy Award. To anyone that has seen Good Night, and Good Luck David Straithairn has made the transition from 'that guy' to one of the best character actors of his time.

29. The Bourne Trilogy: The Bourne Identity/The Bourne Supremacy/The Bourne Ultimatum (Doug Liman, 2002/Paul Greengrass, 2004/2007)

Granted, I'm fudging the rules a little bit by combining the Bourne Trilogy into one film. This spot is, most of all, for Paul Greengrass' superlative Bourne Ultimatum but I felt the whole series deserves recognition as the finest action trilogy since Indiana Jones. The Bourne Identity crafted a fantastic character and mythology. It establishes Matt Damon as a bona fide action star and made for one of the most enjoyable thrill ride movies of the decade. Sadly, Doug Liman's direction is adequate but unspectacular. It isn't until Paul Greengrass took over in 2004 that the series made the transition from enjoyable action movie to legitimate work of art. It's in The Bourne Ultimatum that the series reaches its greatest heights.

One of the very worst trends of the 2000s has been the growth of handheld 'shaky' camera work and spastic editing that makes modern action scenes indecipherable mysteries. In car chases, for example, there's no sense of the spatial relationship between vehicles: you see a driver, then a trail, then a gun, then a squealing tire, then a car careen around a turn, then the rival driver - and all of that in just a few seconds. The human brain can barely process the first image before it's been bombarded by three more. Sadly, this is a result of the later Bourne movies. Paul Greengrass' masterful editing used this style in a manner no other action director has been able to replicate. Each cut creates a new point of emphasis in the action while never losing sight of the big picture of a scene. It gives the action a sort of immediacy, brutality and potency that most films can only dream of. Greengrass even crafted one of the most remarkable little shots of the decade in The Bourne Ultimatum: the camera follows Bourne as he runs across a roof, he gets to the edge and jumps off towards a window across an alleyway. Only the camera follows right behind Bourne across the jump through the window and into the neighboring apartment. I can remember the exact moment while I was watching the film for the first time, you could feel the entire theater gasp. It's since been duplicated many times, but that initial shot was a little piece of movie magic.

Now, of course, if the films were only about action they wouldn't be on the list here. The movies are carried by the fantastic work of Matt Damon. He is believably tough as a spy/assassin and brings a stunning credibility to the action work. Bolstered by Greengrass' work (he also edited Bourne Identity), we believe Damon's work in the fight scenes as much as any other action actor in recent years. But he also brings emotional depth to the performance. The series is driven in large part by Bourne's relationship with Marie, a woman he meets and bribes to help him escape Paris. Played superbly by Franka Potente, Marie acts as the series' beating heart. The leads have the benefit of amazing supporting players as well. From Bourne's quasi-allies (Julia Stiles and Joan Allen) to his in-the-field rivals (Clive Owen and Karl Urban) to his 'big picture' enemies in the CIA (Chris Cooper, Brian Cox and David Straithairn), each supporting player brings a memorable and worthy performance to the series. On the whole, the Bourne movies are a fantastic achievement in the action genre. I look forward to seeing what Tony Gilroy (writer of the Bourne trilogy and director of Michael Clayton) does with the Bourne's series 4th installment.

28. United 93 (Paul Greengrass, 2006)

I've really struggled with how to write about this movie. When I saw United 93 back in 2006, the release was covered by a cloud of controversy as to if it should even exist at all. Some argued it was too soon to make a movie about 9/11 - we lacked perspective, and the pain was too immediate. Others that it was particularly offensive to depict the terrorists as praying to God before and during the hijacking of the film. Others still that movies simply shouldn't be made about 9/11, that it disrespects or cheapens the tragedy of what happened that day. I think if all of those naysayers gave United 93 a chance today, they'd recognize what a masterful tribute the film is to the heroic deeds of those on United Flight 93.

The film is entirely apolitical. It happens with a harrowing immediacy. No effort is made to delve into the back stories of any of the victims or terrorists. Rather the film aims to memorialize what happened by crafting as true a picture as possible. No moment is shoehorned in to artificially up the emotional drama. The fact that nearly every actor was an unknown at the time of the movie helps create the cinéma vérité feel towards which director Paul Greengrass aspires. In fact, the actual FAA Operations Manager on 9/11, Ben Sliney, plays himself in the film. Greengrass' fast editing style, so effective at amplifying the action in the Bourne movies, here serves the purpose of heightening the chaos and confusion of September 11th. The film is one of the most difficult sits I've ever experienced. You leave the film drained, sad and frighteningly brought back to wherever you were on September 11th.

Greengrass knows that the story itself told as accurately as possible is the greatest tribute to those that gave everything and saved countless lives on 9/11.

27. Thank You for Smoking (Jason Reitman, 2005)

Director Jason Reitman became something of a household name later in the decade with best picture nominees Juno and Up in the Air. But it was his first, most cynical movie that still remains his best. Thank You for Smoking is about a tobacco lobbyist named Nick Naylor, played with aplomb by Aaron Eckhart. Naylor is the type who hangs out with his friends, an alcohol lobbyist and a firearm lobbyist - the self titled MOD Squad (MOD = Merchants of Death) - and debates the effectiveness of each's products' death dealing abilities. He's the sort of guy who brings his son along on cross country trips to convince movie executives to feature more stars smoking on film. Naylor is called before congress in the debate about a bill to put a skull and crossbones on packs of cigarettes. As a result, he begins receiving death threats.

[Spoilers] Throughout the film, you keep waiting for the cop-out. You keep waiting for Naylor to be redeemed. You keep waiting for his 'ah ha!' moment where he realizes cigarettes are bad and his job is nefarious at best. You keep waiting for him to develop a 'normal' relationship with his son. But those moments never come. The ending of the movie sees Naylor not only successfully defend tobacco, but become an even greater advocate of 'evil' corporations. He starts his own lobbying firm, his son starts winning school debates and he adds friends in fast food, hazardous waste and oil drilling to the MOD Squad. It's dark, it's cynical, hilarious and perfectly in line with the character. The genius of Thank You for Smoking is the way it attacks both sides, Big Tobacco and anti-smoking advocates, and comes down on the side of free choice. [End Spoilers]

As Reitman further showed with Juno and Up in the Air, his greatest gift as a director is bringing out the best work in his actors. Though he has only three movies under his belt, numerous actors have chosen to work with Reitman on multiple projects. They recognize he brings out their best. While Eckhart is fantastic here, exhibiting all the smarmy, unctuous charm expected of a lobbyist, a lot of the best parts here go to the supporting players. J.K. Simmons is fantastic and hilarious as Naylor's boss. William H. Macy, Maria Bello, Rob Lowe, Sam Elliot and Robert Duvall are all superb in their supporting roles. With a pitch perfect script, great performances and editing, Thank You for Smoking is one of the best black comedies of the decade.

26. Up (Pete Docter, 2009)

Up opens with one of the most moving and elegiac sequences I've ever seen in a movie - not just animation. The film opens with a young boy named Carl watching newsreel footage of his hero, renowned adventurer Charles Muntz, being accused of fabricating a discovery at Paradise Falls (inspired by Angel Falls in Venezuala). Soon after Carl meets a young girl named Ellie at her clubhouse. Ellie, as it turns out, is a big fan of Muntz as well and the two form a bond immediately and promise to someday move the clubhouse to Paradise Falls. The movie then cuts out all dialogue and allows the Michael Giacchino's amazing "Married Life" score to take over. We're taken on a visual journey through Carl and Ellie's marriage: the good moments and the bad. In a little over 4 minutes, director Pete Docter crafts more genuine emotion than many directors do in a career.

There is, of course, more to the movie than the first ten minutes. Escaping the efforts of an evil faceless corporation to knock down his family home, Carl literally flies his house away with thousands of balloons. He ends up on a grand adventure, quite literally dragging his house along for the ride. Along with a lonely neighborhood boy scout, a talking dog (talking thanks to an electronic collar) and a bird that looks like the bizarro offspring of an ostrich and a blue-footed booby, Carl tries to take his home, his clubhouse, to Paradise Falls. Now, I recognize, that if you haven't seen the movie this entire description sounds absurd. But the genius of Pete Docter, and the other writers, is that we buy into this world and we love it. Everything about the film is beautiful to look at: the colors, the designs, the movements. The dog, Dug, is one of the funniest characters in recent film history. He speaks not in the human manor of most movie dogs, but in a way we recognize as what we believe our actual dogs might be thinking. Carl himself is fascinatingly designed and quite unlike anything else in American animation. He hobbles awkwardly with his walker and always seems to shuffle his feet, like a man accepting that his end is near.

And that's the kicker about Up. Even though it's is guised as a kid's movie, Up is so much more. It's a contemplation on obsession, on loss and on letting go. The best animation, just like the best science fiction, isn't really about the actual plot on the screen - it's a device to give a new perspective on an idea or an emotion. Up is one of the most affecting movies of the decade and I recommend it to anyone.

Runner-Up: Blood Diamond (Zwick, 2006)
Runner-Up: Open Water (Kentis, 2004)
Runner-Up: Cinderella Man (Howard, 2005)
Runner-Up: Tigerland (Schumacher, 2000)
Runner-Up: Best in Show (Guest, 2000)
Runner-Up: Letters from Iwo Jima (Eastwood, 2006)
Runner-Up: Saw (Wan, 2004)
101: Big Fish (Burton, 2003)
100: State of Play (Macdonald, 2009)
99: Marley & Me (Frankel, 2008)
98: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Fincher, 2008)
97: Sunshine (Boyle, 2007)
96: 8 Mile (Hanson, 2002)
95: 21 Grams (Iñárritu, 2003)
94: The Hurt Locker (Bigelow, 2009)
93: Y tu mamá también (Cuaron, 2001)
92: Breach (Ray, 2007)
91: Away from Her (Polley, 2007)
90: Stranger Than Fiction (Forster, 2006)
89: Old School (Phillips, 2003)
88: The Queen (Frears, 2006)
87: Garden State (Braff, 2004)
86: Miracle (O'Connor, 2004)
85: Banlieue 13 (Morel, 2004)
84: The Fall (Singh, 2008)
83: Spider-Man/Spider-Man 2.1 (Raimi, 2002/2004)
82: The Last King of Scotland (Macdonald, 2006)
81: Pineapple Express (Green, 2008)
80: Into the Wild (Penn, 2007)
79: Juno (Reitman, 2007)
78: Cast Away (Zemeckis, 2000)
77: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Burton, 2007)
76: The 40 Year Old Virgin (Apatow, 2005)
75: Michael Clayton (Gilroy, 2007)
74: Friday Night Lights (Berg, 2004)
73: The Descent (Marshall, 2006)
72: In the Loop (Iannucci, 2009)
71: In the Shadow of the Moon (Sington, 2007)
70: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (Black, 2005)
69: No Country for Old Men (Coen/Coen, 2007)
68: Superbad (Mottola, 2007)
67: Insomnia (Nolan, 2002)
66: The Road (Hillcoat, 2009)
65: Defiance (Zwick, 2008)
64: Up in the Air (Reitman, 2009)
63: Eastern Promises (Cronenberg, 2007)
62: Finding Nemo (Stanton, 2003)
61: Låt den rätte komma in (Alfredson, 2008)
60: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (Verbinski, 2003)
59: Forgetting Sarah Marshall (Stoller, 2008)
58: Hot Fuzz (Wright, 2007)
57: Moon (Jones, 20009)
56: Collateral (Mann, 2004)
55: Munich (Spielberg, 2005)
54: The Visitor (McCarthy, 2008)
53: El orfanato (Bayona, 2007)
52: Hellboy II: The Golden Army (del Toro, 2008)
51: Adaptation. (Jonze, 2002)
50: Gangs of New York (Scorsese, 2002)
49: (500) Days of Summer (Webb, 2009)
48: Catch Me If You Can (Spielberg, 2002)
47: 3:10 to Yuma (Mangold, 2007)
46: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Cuaron, 2004)
45: The Cove (Psihoyos, 2009)
44: Iron Man (Favreau, 2008)
43: District 9 (Blomkamp, 2009)
42: Atonement (Wright, 2007)
41: The Incredibles (Bird, 2004)
40: The Aviator (Scorsese, 2004)
39: Batman Begins (Nolan, 2005)
38: Serenity (Whedon, 2005)
37: Star Trek (Abrams, 2009)
36: Walk the Line (Mangold, 2005)
35: Half Nelson (Fleck, 2006)
34: Rachel Getting Married (Demme, 2008)
33: Zodiac (Fincher, 2007)
32: A History of Violence (Cronenberg, 2005)
31: The Painted Veil (Curran, 2006)
30: Good Night, and Good Luck (Clooney, 2005)
29: The Bourne Trilogy: The Bourne Identity/The Bourne Supremacy/The Bourne Ultimatum (Liman, 2002/Greengrass, 2004/2007)
28: United 93 (Greengrass, 2006)
27: Thank You for Smoking (Reitman, 2005)
26: Up (Docter, 2009)

Runners-Up
101-96
95-91
90-86
85-81
80-76
75-71
70-66
65-61
60-56
55-51
50-46
45-41
40-36
35-31

Top 101 Movies of the Decade (35-31)

2010-07-12T17:04:00.018-04:00

35. Half Nelson (Ryan Fleck, 2006)

Half Nelson tells the story of an inspirational teacher in a rundown inner city Brooklyn school. He works with his students to teach them to think for themselves and to make something of their lives. He rebels against the set curriculum because he wants to engage his students in the classroom. He even coaches the girls basketball team. Only this inspirational school teacher is a little bit different than the ones you may have seen on film many times before - he also smokes crack.

The film operates so effectively because it doesn't deal in simple black and white, but rather in shades of gray. This is not the sort of movie where Gosling's character inspirationally cleans-up his act and spurs on his students to an array of college scholarships. Rather it deals with the middle ground - the good acts of a deeply flawed individual.

The film focuses on the relationship between that teacher and a student who discovers his use of drugs at the school. It gives the film an emotional center; in their own way each wants to help the other. The student wants the teacher to clean up. The teacher wants to prevent the student from falling into a life of drug dealing.

That teacher is played by Ryan Gosling. Gosling gamely takes on that difficult role in a genuine and believable way. It is one of the most remarkable performances of the decade and the deserving recipient of an Academy Award nomination. The student is played by the talented young Shareeka Epps, who inhabits her role with a maturity that belies her years. Half Nelson is an emotional film to sit through, but it's entirely worth the time you invest in it.

34. Rachel Getting Married (Jonathan Demme, 2008)

Rachel Getting Married brings a wedding to life in a way quite unlike most other films. Director Jonathan Demme (Silence of the Lambs) makes effective use of the hand-held camera throughout the film, using it to integrate the viewer like another guest at the wedding. The film follows Kym, sister of the bride, through her wedding weekend leave from rehab. To the dismay of most of her relatives, Kym returns to her family like a tornado. She is selfish, immature and an addict - she also carries something from her past that sets her aside from her family members.

Anne Hathaway doesn't so much play Kym, as much as inhabit the character. I frankly had no idea that Hathaway was capable of such an incredible performance. She had shown hints of her talent in films like Brokeback Mountain and, to a lesser degree, The Devil Wears Prada, but here Demme has helped her tap into a wealth of talent that is astounding to watch. The entire supporting cast is strong but particular note goes to Rosemarie DeWitt, Rachel the bride, and Bill Irwin, the family patriarch. Their scenes with Hathaway have an amazing sense of life and emotion.

Hathaway's work here is one of the finest and most natural performance I've ever seen.

33. Zodiac (David Fincher, 2007)

A young couple sits in a car in a Lovers' Lane-like parking lot. The two chat awkwardly but the girl seems nervous and is reluctant to share why. A car pulls up behind the couple without headlights and pauses, ominously, before driving away. The girl refuses to answer the boy's questions about the identity of the driver of the car. Soon the car reappears and pulls behind them, the headlights illuminating the young couple. An individual approaches the vehicle with a flashlight drawn. The individual walks to the side window of the car, and shines the flashlight in the eyes of the young couple before firing an unseen handgun five times into the vehicle. The individual departs only to return a few moments later after noticing a motion in the car. He fires four more bullets, departs for his car and calls the police to announce what he has done. It is one of the most chilling murder scenes ever put to film and it kicks off one of the greatest serial killer movies ever made.

David Fincher crafts the film of an epic study - spanning nearly 30 years - of the search for the Zodiac serial killer focusing on the ordeal from two perspectives: the press and the police. For the press perspective, Fincher, in exacting details, crafts the 1960s San Francisco Chronicle offices and focuses on cartoonist Robert Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal playing the man who's book inspired the film) and criminal writer Paul Avery (Robert Downey, Jr.). Fincher follows two police inspectors who become obsessed with solving the case (played by Mark Ruffalo and Anthony Edwards). The acting is exceptional across the board.

On the whole, the film is a remarkable study of the obsessive lengths necessary to pursue such a killer. Fincher situates every shot in the film with exacting precision and has an old-school style of film construction that eliminates the jump cuts and choppy editing so prevalent this past decade. The film is also incredibly rich in the details of the actual investigation, and to Fincher's credit the film succeeds despite such a broad and labyrinthine structure.

32. A History of Violence (David Cronenberg, 2005)

Tom Stall lives in a small Indiana town and runs a diner. He seems well liked by everyone in town, has a loving wife and a happy family. That is until one day two criminals enter his diner, threaten the patrons and attempt a robbery. Acting on something that can only be described as instinct, Tom efficiently and brutally kills both men. This brings a wealth of local media attention on Tom... and a change in his personality.

[SPOILERS from here on out] Tom, it turns out, was also known as Joey back when he lived in Philadelphia and acted as a mob enforcer. Gradually, his family man facade is pulled back as that world encroaches on his life in Indiana. A maimed mobster named Fogarty appears in town and begins pestering Tom's wife - he tells her that the man she married took his eye with barbed wire. What seemingly fascinates director David Cronenberg is the dichotomy of the two lives of Tom and Joey. Can Tom truly move beyond that past as Joey? Or is Joey a permanent part of his identity?

The key Cronenberg masterstroke here is the casting of Viggo Mortensen. He is absolutely perfect for the lead role and fascinatingly plays the conflict of his two identities. Prior to this film (and other than the Lord of the Rings movies), Mortensen was known for solid, but unremarkable, performances in a number of mostly forgettable movies (such as Crimson Tide or A Perfect Murder). It is in this film that Mortensen really takes the next step as an actor. He did great work in the Lord of the Rings movies, but the success of those films hardly rested on his work. Here he has developed the ability to balance his usual intensity with humanity. Mortensen is helped by a supporting cast - highlighted by Maria Bello, Ed Harris and William Hurt - that craft fascinating characters around Tom.

31. The Painted Veil (John Curran, 2006)

The Painted Veil tells the story of a 1920's London socialite (Naomi Watts) who marries a local doctor she barely knows (Edward Norton) in order to escape her mother's influence. The marriage is far from perfect and the socialite begins seeing another man (Liev Schreiber). The doctor learns of her infidelity and presents her with an ultimatum: accompany him to China to help treat a cholera outbreak as his faithful wife or he will file a petition for divorce citing her infidelity (which, at the time, would make her a social outcast).

The 'choice' leads Kitty Fane to follow her husband to Mei-tan-fu, a remote village in China. He works ceaselessly to stop the spread of Cholera; she begins teaching children at a nearby orphanage run by nuns. The two live in icy silence until small revelations start to crack the ice between the two.

Director John Curran and cinematographer Stuart Dryburgh masterfully stage their shots to capture incredibly beautiful natural imagery. The wonder of the environs help to heighten the emotional impact of the relationship between the characters. While the film explores the Chinese communist revolution and the gradual modernization of the country, the film is, at its core, a story of the relationship between two individuals. Without effective actors, the film simply would not work... luckily, The Painted Veil has two phenomenal actors at the top of their game. Both Naomi Watts and Edward Norton give some of the best performances of their stellar careers. Both are difficult roles, but the actors excel. The Painted Veil is one of the best romance movies I've ever seen and I'd heartily recommend it to anyone.

Runner-Up: Blood Diamond (Zwick, 2006)
Runner-Up: Open Water (Kentis, 2004)
Runner-Up: Cinderella Man (Howard, 2005)
Runner-Up: Tigerland (Schumacher, 2000)
Runner-Up: Best in Show (Guest, 2000)
Runner-Up: Letters from Iwo Jima (Eastwood, 2006)
Runner-Up: Saw (Wan, 2004)
101: Big Fish (Burton, 2003)
100: State of Play (Macdonald, 2009)
99: Marley & Me (Frankel, 2008)
98: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Fincher, 2008)
97: Sunshine (Boyle, 2007)
96: 8 Mile (Hanson, 2002)
95: 21 Grams (Iñárritu, 2003)
94: The Hurt Locker (Bigelow, 2009)
93: Y tu mamá también (Cuaron, 2001)
92: Breach (Ray, 2007)
91: Away from Her (Polley, 2007)
90: Stranger Than Fiction (Forster, 2006)
89: Old School (Phillips, 2003)
88: The Queen (Frears, 2006)
87: Garden State (Braff, 2004)
86: Miracle (O'Connor, 2004)
85: Banlieue 13 (Morel, 2004)
84: The Fall (Singh, 2008)
83: Spider-Man/Spider-Man 2.1 (Raimi, 2002/2004)
82: The Last King of Scotland (Macdonald, 2006)
81: Pineapple Express (Green, 2008)
80: Into the Wild (Penn, 2007)
79: Juno (Reitman, 2007)
78: Cast Away (Zemeckis, 2000)
77: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Burton, 2007)
76: The 40 Year Old Virgin (Apatow, 2005)
75: Michael Clayton (Gilroy, 2007)
74: Friday Night Lights (Berg, 2004)
73: The Descent (Marshall, 2006)
72: In the Loop (Iannucci, 2009)
71: In the Shadow of the Moon (Sington, 2007)
70: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (Black, 2005)
69: No Country for Old Men (Coen/Coen, 2007)
68: Superbad (Mottola, 2007)
67: Insomnia (Nolan, 2002)
66: The Road (Hillcoat, 2009)
65: Defiance (Zwick, 2008)
64: Up in the Air (Reitman, 2009)
63: Eastern Promises (Cronenberg, 2007)
62: Finding Nemo (Stanton, 2003)
61: Låt den rätte komma in (Alfredson, 2008)
60: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (Verbinski, 2003)
59: Forgetting Sarah Marshall (Stoller, 2008)
58: Hot Fuzz (Wright, 2007)
57: Moon (Jones, 20009)
56: Collateral (Mann, 2004)
55: Munich (Spielberg, 2005)
54: The Visitor (McCarthy, 2008)
53: El orfanato (Bayona, 2007)
52: Hellboy II: The Golden Army (del Toro, 2008)
51: Adaptation. (Jonze, 2002)
50: Gangs of New York (Scorsese, 2002)
49: (500) Days of Summer (Webb, 2009)
48: Catch Me If You Can (Spielberg, 2002)
47: 3:10 to Yuma (Mangold, 2007)
46: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Cuaron, 2004)
45: The Cove (Psihoyos, 2009)
44: Iron Man (Favreau, 2008)
43: District 9 (Blomkamp, 2009)
42: Atonement (Wright, 2007)
41: The Incredibles (Bird, 2004)
40: The Aviator (Scorsese, 2004)
39: Batman Begins (Nolan, 2005)
38: Serenity (Whedon, 2005)
37: Star Trek (Abrams, 2009)
36: Walk the Line (Mangold, 2005)
35: Half Nelson (Fleck, 2006)
34: Rachel Getting Married (Demme, 2008)
33: Zodiac (Fincher, 2007)
32: A History of Violence (Cronenberg, 2005)
31: The Painted Veil (Curran, 2006)

Runners-Up
101-96
95-91
90-86
85-81
80-76
75-71
70-66
65-61
60-56
55-51
50-46
45-41
40-36

2009 Movie Review List

2010-07-11T11:12:00.004-04:00

2009 Movies:
(500) Days of Summer: 9/10
12 Rounds: 5/10
17 Again: 5/10
2012: 7/10
9: 6/10
Adventureland: 8/10
Alien Trespass: 3/10
Amelia: 3/10
Angels & Demons: 7/10
Avatar: 10/10
Away We Go: 7/10
Battlestar Galactica: The Plan: 7/10
Big Fan: 7/10
Blind Side, The: 7/10
Bride Wars: 3/10
Brief Interviews with Hideous Men: 6/10
Brothers: 6/10
Brothers Bloom, The: 4/10
Bruno: 6/10
Christmas Carol, A: 6/10
Confessions of a Shopaholic: 4/10
Coraline: 8/10
Couples Retreat: 3/10
Cove, The: 10/10
Crank: High Voltage: 4/10
Crazy Heart: 7/10
Crossing Over: 5/10
District 9: 10/10
Drag Me to Hell: 7/10
Dragonball: Evolution: 2/10
Duplicity: 8/10
Earth: 7/10
Education, An: 8/10
Extract: 6/10
Fanboys: 7/10
Fantastic Mr. Fox: 8/10
Fast & Furious: 6/10
Fighting: 5/10
Final Destination, The: 5/10
Fired Up!: 4/10
Friday the 13th: 3/10
Funny People: 7/10
Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder: 7/10
G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra: 7/10
Gamer: 5/10
Ghosts of Girlfriends Past: 5/10
Gigantic: 3/10
Girlfriend Experience, The: 7/10
Goods, The: Live Hard, Sell Hard: 6/10
Halloween II: 2/10
Hangover, The: 8/10
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: 9/10
Haunting in Connecticut, The: 2/10
He's Just Not That Into You: 4/10
Hulk Vs.: 3/10
Hurt Locker, The: 9/10
I Love You, Beth Cooper: 4/10
I Love You, Man: 7/10
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs: 6/10
In the Loop: 9/10
Inglourious Basterds: 7/10
International, The: 8/10
Into the Blue 2: The Reef: 4/10
Invention of Lying, The: 5/10
Invictus: 7/10
It's Complicated: 5/10
Jennifer's Body: 5/10
Julie & Julia: 7/10
Knowing: 6/10
Land of the Lost: 4/10
Last House on the Left, The: 7/10
Law Abiding Citizen: 6/10
Lovely Bones, The: 7/10
Marine 2, The: 6/10
Me and Orson Welles: 8/10
Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus: 3/10
Messenger, The: 8/10
Miss March: 2/10
Monsters vs. Aliens: 7/10
Moon: 10/10
Mutant Chronicles: 4/10
My Bloody Valentine: 3/10
New York, I Love You: 4/10
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian: 6/10
Nine: 4/10
Ninja Assassin: 6/10
Observe and Report: 5/10
Obsessed: 4/10
Ong Bak 2: The Beginning: 5/10
Orphan: 7/10
Paranormal Activity: 7/10
Paul Blart: Mall Cop: 7/10
Perfect Getaway, A: 6/10
Pirate Radio: 7/10
Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire: 8/10
Princess and the Frog, The: 8/10
Prison Break: The Final Break: 6/10
Proposal, The: 6/10
Public Enemies: 8/10
Push: 4/10
Race to Witch Mountain: 5/10
Road, The: 9/10
Saw VI: 4/10
Serious Man, A: 7/10
Sherlock Holmes: 8/10
Soloist, The: 5/10
Sorority Row: 5/10
Spread: 5/10
Spring Breakdown: 3/10
Star Trek: 10/10
State of Play: 8/10
Stepfather, The: 3/10
Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li: 3/10
Sugar: 8/10
Sunshine Cleaning: 5/10
Superman/Batman: Public Enemies: 5/10
Surrogates: 4/10
Taken: 8/10
Taking Chance: 5/10
Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, The: 5/10
Taking Woodstock: 4/10
Terminator: Salvation: 4/10
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen: 5/10
Twilight Saga, The: New Moon: 3/10
Tyson: 8/10
Ugly Truth, The: 6/10
Unborn, The: 3/10
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans: 5/10
Uninvited, The: 6/10
Up: 10/10
Up in the Air: 9/10
Watchmen: 7/10
Watchmen: Tales of the Black Freighter: 2/10
Where the Wild Things Are: 7/10
Whiteout: 3/10
X-Men Origins: Wolverine: 7/10
Year One: 5/10
Young Victoria, The: 8/10
Zombieland: 8/10

2009 Short Films:
B.O.B.'s Big Break: 5/10
China's Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province: 8/10
Dug's Special Mission: 7/10
French Roast: 8/10
Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty: 4/10
Kinematograph, The: 7/10
La dama y la muerte: 7/10
Logorama: 7/10
Los Bandoleros: 8/10
Monsters vs. Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space: 4/10
Partly Cloudy: 10/10
Runaway: 4/10
Wallace & Gromit in A Matter of Loaf and Death: 9/10

2009 Top 10 (so far)
Honorable Mentions: The Hurt Locker, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, State of Play, An Education, Zombieland, The International, Sugar, Precious
10. In the Loop
9. Road, The
8. Up in the Air
7. Moon
6. (500) Days of Summer
5. The Cove
4. District 9
3. Up
2. Star Trek
1. Avatar

My 2010 Emmy Nomination List

2010-07-08T16:40:00.006-04:00

As a prelude to finally finishing my Top Movies of the Decade posts, here are what I'd have liked to see as the Emmy nominations this year.

Before going onto the lists, I should say that regardless of category the greatest achievement of this past year in television was HBO's The Pacific. Each of the three lead actors - James Badge Dale, Jon Seda and Joseph Mazzello - gave performances as fine as anybody listed below. The writing and direction of the entire series is exceptional, as are the technical accomplishments in editing, sound, music, visual effects, costumes and art direction. It is, much to my surprise, better than Band of Brothers.

Outstanding Drama Series

Dexter (Showtime)
Dollhouse (Fox)
Friday Night Lights (NBC/DirecTV)
Lost (ABC)
Mad Men (AMC)
True Blood (HBO)

Outstanding Comedy Series

30 Rock (NBC)
Chuck (NBC)
Glee (Fox)
Parks and Recreation (NBC)
Party Down (Starz)
The Office (NBC)

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series

Kyle Chandler as Coach Eric Taylor, Friday Night Lights
Michael C. Hall as Dexter Morgan, Dexter
Jon Hamm as Don Draper, Mad Men
Hugh Laurie as Dr. Gregory House, House, M.D.
Stephen Moyer as Bill Compton, True Blood
Andy Whitfield as Spartacus, Spartacus: Blood and Sand

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series

Alec Baldwin as Jack Donaghy, 30 Rock
Steve Carrell as Michael Scott, The Office
Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Castle
Thomas Jane as Ray Drecker, Hung
Zachary Levi as Chuck Bartowski, Chuck
Matthew Morrison as Will Schuester, Glee

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

Michael Emerson as Benjamin Linus, Lost
Enver Gjokaj as Victor, Dollhouse
Josh Holloway as James 'Sawyer' Ford, Lost
Fran Kranz as Topher Brink, Dollhouse
John Slattery as Roger Sterling, Mad Men
Alexander Skarsgård as Eric Northman, True Blood

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

Adam Baldwin as John Casey, Chuck
Ed Helms as Andy Bernard, The Office
John Krasinski as Jim Halpert, The Office
Ryan McPartlin as Devon 'Captain Awesome' Woodcomb, Chuck
Michael Mosley as Drew Suffin, Scrubs
Mark Salling as Noah 'Puck' Puckerman, Glee

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series

Zach Gilford as Matt Saracen, Friday Night Lights
John Hannah as Batiatus, Spartacus: Blood and Sand
Gregory Itzin as President Charles Logan, 24
John Lithgow as Arthur Mitchell, Dexter
Dominic Monaghan as Charlie Pace, Lost
Alan Tudyk as Alpha, Dollhouse

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series

Scott Bakula as Steve Bartowski, Chuck
Jon Hamm as Dr. Drew Baird, 30 Rock
Neil Patrick Harris as Bryan Ryan, Glee
Mike O’Malley as Burt Hummel, Glee
Brandon Routh as Daniel Shaw, Chuck
Michael Sheen as Wesley, 30 Rock

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series

Julie Benz as Rita Morgan, Dexter
Connie Britton as Tami Taylor, Friday Night Lights
January Jones as Betty Draper, Mad Men
Evangeline Lilly as Kate Austen, Lost
Elisabeth Moss as Peggy Olson, Mad Men
Anna Paquin as Sookie Stackhouse, True Blood

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series

Jane Adams as Tanya Skagle, Hung
Lizzy Caplan as Casey Klein, Party Down
Tina Fey as Liz Lemon, 30 Rock
Mary-Louise Parker as Nancy Botwin, Weeds
Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope, Parks and Recreation
Yvonne Strahovski as Sarah Walker, Chuck

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Lisa Edelstein as Lisa Cuddy, House, M.D.
Christina Hendricks as Joan Holloway, Mad Men
Yunjin Kim as Sun Kwon, Lost
Dichen Lachman as Sierra, Dollhouse
Annie Wersching as Renee Walker, 24
Olivia Williams as Adelle DeWitt, Dollhouse

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Dianna Agron as Quinn Fabray, Glee
Eliza Coupe as Dr. Denise Mahoney, Scrubs
Jenna Fischer as Pam Halpert, The Office
Ellie Kemper as Erin Hannon, The Office
Sarah Lancaster as Ellie Bartowski, Chuck
Jane Lynch as Sue Sylvester, Glee

Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series

Amy Acker as Whiskey, Dollhouse
Michelle Forbes as Maryann Forrester, True Blood
Courtney Ford as Christine Hill, Dexter
Lucy Lawless as Lucretia, Spartacus: Blood and Sand
Elizabeth Mitchell as Juliet Burke, Lost
Louanne Stephens as Lorraine Saracen, Friday Night Lights

Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series

Elizabeth Banks as Avery Jessup, 30 Rock
Kristin Chenoweth as April Rhodes, Glee
Kristin Kreuk as Hannah, Chuck
Kate Mara as Brittany, Entourage
Idina Menzel as Shelby Corcoran, Glee
Julianne Moore, 30 Rock

Toughest Cuts
Outstanding Drama: House, M.D. (Fox); Rescue Me (FX)

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series: Denis Leary as Tommy Gavin, Rescue Me; Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer, 24; Mark Valley as Christopher Chance, Human Target

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series: Ryan Kwanten as Jason Stackhouse, True Blood; John Cho as Demetri Noh, FlashForward; Taylor Kitsch as Tim Riggins, Friday Night Lights; Michael B. Jordan as Vince Howard, Friday Night Lights; Tahmoh Penikett as Paul Ballard, Dollhouse; Aaron Staton as Ken Cosgrove, Mad Men; Daniel Dae Kim as Jim Kwon, Lost; Sam Trammell as Sam Merlotte, True Blood; Steven Pasquale as Sean Garrity, Rescue Me; Joel Gretsch as Father Jack Landry, V

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series: Jeremy Piven as Ari Gold, Entourage; Jack McBrayer as Kenneth Parcell, 30 Rock; Rex Lee as Lloyd Lee, Entourage

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series: Callum Keith Rennie as Vladimir Laitanan, 24

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series: Stana Katic as Kate Beckett, Castle

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series: Laura Vandervoort as Lisa, V; Deborah Ann Woll as Jessica Hamby, True Blood; Mary Lynn Rajskub as Chloe O'Brian, 24

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series: Jane Krakowski as Jenna Maroney, 30 Rock; Jayma Mays as Emma Pillsbury, Glee; Rebecca Creskoff as Lenore, Hung

There are a number of well thought of television shows of which I have not seen any episodes and, as such, couldn't fairly consider (among them are Justified, Sons of Anarchy, Modern Family, Cougar Town, Breaking Bad and Community).

2010 Academy Award Predictions & My Top 30 Movies for 2009

2010-03-07T00:00:00.002-05:00

Below are my rankings for the Top 30 Films of 2009 along with my predictions for the Academy Awards. I've ranked all the nominees I've seen by my preference in the category, then alphabetically for those I have not. I listed my prediction for the win, a possible spoiler and which film should have been recognized in each category (thereby if I list three 'should have been here' contenders it means I would replace the bottom three candidates in my ranking of the nominees with those to form my ideal ballot).

Best Picture:

1. Avatar
2. Up
3. District 9
4. Up in the Air
5. The Hurt Locker
6. An Education
7. Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
8. Inglourious Basterds
9. A Serious Man
10. The Blind Side

Will Win: The Hurt Locker
Could Win: Avatar, Inglourious Basterds
Should Have Been Here: (500) Days of Summer, In the Loop, Moon, The Road, Star Trek

Best Director

1. Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
2. James Cameron, Avatar
3. Jason Reitman, Up in the Air
4. Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds
5. Lee Daniels, Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire

Will Win: Kathryn Bigelow
Could Win: James Cameron
Should Have Been Here: J.J. Abrams, Star Trek; Neil Blomkamp, District 9

Best Actor

1. Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker
2. Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
3. George Clooney, Up in the Air
4. Morgan Freeman, Invictus
Colin Firth, A Single Man

Will Win: Jeff Bridges
Could Win: Jeremy Renner
Should Have Been Here: Sharlto Copley, District 9; Sam Rockwell, Moon; Viggo Mortensen, The Road

Best Actress

1. Carey Mulligan, An Education
2. Gabourey Sidibe, Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
3. Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia
4. Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side
Helen Mirren, The Last Station

Will Win: Sandra Bullock
Could Win: Meryl Streep
Should Have Been Here: Emily Blunt, The Young Victoria; Zooey Deschanel, (500) Days of Summer; Saiorse Ronan, The Lovely Bones; Maya Rudolph, Away We Go

Best Supporting Actor

1. Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds
2. Woody Harrelson, The Messenger
3. Stanley Tucci, The Lovely Bones
4. Matt Damon, Invictus
Christopher Plummer, The Last Station

Will Win: Christoph Waltz
Could Win: null
Should Have Been Here: Peter Capaldi, In the Loop; Christian McKay, Me and Orson Welles; Mark Wahlberg, The Lovely Bones

Best Supporting Actress

1. Mo'Nique, Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
2. Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air
3. Vera Farmiga, Up in the Air
4. Penelope Cruz, Nine
5. Maggie Gyllenhaal, Crazy Hart

Will Win: Mo'Nique
Could Win: null
Should Have Been Here: Marion Cotillard, Nine; Zoe Saldana, Avatar

Best Animated Film

1. Up
2. The Secret of Kells
3. Fantastic Mr. Fox
4. Coraline
5. The Princess and the Frog

Will Win: Up
Could Win: Fantastic Mr. Fox
Could Have Been Here: Ponyo

Best Foreign Language Film

Ajami (Israel)
El Secreto de Sus Ojos (Argentina)
The Milk of Sorrow (Peru)
Un Prophète (France)
The White Ribbon (Germany)

Will Win: Un Prophète
Could Win: The White Ribbon
Should Have Been Here: Gomorrah (Italy)

Best Documentary Feature

1. The Cove
Burma VJ
Food, Inc
The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers
Which Way Home

Will Win: The Cove
Could Win: Burma VJ
Should Have Been Here: Tyson

Best Original Screenplay

1. Up
2. The Hurt Locker
3. The Messenger
4. Inglourious Basterds
5. A Serious Man

Will Win: Inglourious Basterds
Could Win: The Hurt Locker
Should Have Been Here: (500) Days of Summer

Best Adapted Screenplay

1. In the Loop
2. Up in the Air
3. District 9
4. An Education
5. Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire

Will Win: Up in the Air
Could Win: An Education
Should Have Been Here: The Road, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Best Art Direction

1. Avatar
2. Sherlock Holmes
3. The Young Victoria
4. Nine
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

Will Win: Avatar
Could Win: Sherlock Holmes
Should Have Been Here: Coraline, Where the Wild Things Are

Best Cinematography

1. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
2. Avatar
3. The Hurt Locker
4. Inglourious Basterds
The White Ribbon

Will Win: Avatar
Could Win: The Hurt Locker
Should Have Been Here: Moon

Best Film Editing

1. Avatar
2. The Hurt Locker
3. District 9
4. Inglourious Basterds
5. Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire

Will Win: The Hurt Locker
Could Win: Avatar
Should Have Been Here: Star Trek

Best Visual Effects

1. Avatar
2. District 9
3. Star Trek

Will Win: Avatar
Could Win: Avatar
Could Have Been Here: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Best Original Score

1. Up, Michael Giacchino
2. Sherlock Holmes, Hans Zimmer
3. Avatar, James Horner
4. The Hurt Locker, Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders
5. Fantastic Mr. Fox, Alexandre Desplat

Will Win: Up
Could Win: The Hurt Locker
Should Have Been Here: Star Trek, Michael Giacchino; The Secret of Kells, Bruno Coulais; The Twilight Saga: New Moon, Alexandre Desplat

Best Original Song

1. The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart), Crazy Heart
2. Almost There, The Princess and the Frog
3. Take It All, Nine
4. Down in New Orleans, The Princess and the Frog
5. Loin de Paname, Paris 36

Will Win: The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)
Could Win: Take It All, Nine
Should Have Been Here: Winter, Brothers

Best Sound Editing

1. Star Trek
2. Avatar
3. The Hurt Locker
4. Up
5. Inglourious Basterds

Will Win: Avatar
Could Win: The Hurt Locker
Should Have Been Here: District 9

Best Sound Mixing

1. Star Trek
2. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
3. Avatar
4. The Hurt Locker
5. Inglourious Basterds

Will Win: Avatar
Could Win: The Hurt Locker
Should Have Been Here: District 9

Best Costume Design

1. The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
2. The Young Victoria
3. Nine
4. Bright Star
5. Coco Before Chanel

Will Win: The Young Victoria
Could Win: Nine
Should Have Been Here: Amelia

Best Makeup

1. Star Trek
2. The Young Victoria
3. Il Divo

Will Win: Star Trek
Could Win: Il Divo
Should Have Been Here: District 9

Best Animated Short

1. Wallace and Gromit in A Matter of Loaf and Death
2. French Roast
3. Logorama
4. The Lady and the Reaper (La Dama y la Muerte)
5. Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty

Will Win: Wallace and Gromit in A Matter of Load and Death
Could Win: Logorama
Should Have Been Here: Partly Cloudy

Best Live Action Short
The Door
Instead of Abracadabra
Kavi
Miracle Fish
The New Tenants

Will Win: The Door
Could Win: Miracle Fish
Should Have Been Here: (Abstain)

Best Documentary Short

1. China's Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province
The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner
The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant
Music by Prudence
Rabbit à la Berlin

Will Win: Chine's Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province
Could Win: The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant
Should Have Been Here: (Abstain)

My Top 30 Films for 2009
30. The Hangover
29. Adventureland
28. The Princess and the Frog
27. Sherlock Holmes
26. Me and Orson Welles
25. Duplicity
24. Public Enemies
23. Coraline
22. Sugar
21. The International
20. Fantastic Mr. Fox
19. Zombieland
18. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
17. Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
16. The Messenger
15. The Young Victoria
14. An Education
13. The Secret of Kells
12. State of Play
11. The Hurt Locker
10. In the Loop
9. The Road
8. Up in the Air
7. Moon
6. (500) Days of Summer
5. The Cove
4. District 9
3. Star Trek
2. Up
1. Avatar

Top 101 Movies of the Decade (40-36)

2010-03-03T11:11:00.009-05:00

40. The Aviator (Martin Scorsese, 2004)

Throughout his career, Scorsese has always been interested in the rise and fall of his characters: Raging Bull, GoodFellas, Casino. The Aviator, based on the life of Howard Hughes, falls nicely into that tradition. Focusing principally on Hughes' better years, Scorsese crafts an epic and tragic tale of a man crippled by his own flaws. What makes the film effective, however, is Scorsese's choice to focus on the good portion of Hughes' life - merely alluding to his tragic end (living as a recluse in a single room for most of his last two decades).

Leonardo DiCaprio is phenomenal. The role calls for an epic performance and DiCaprio is completely game. Howard Hughes was a man who courted Hollywood starlets, made epic movies and designed - and crashed - airplanes before succumbing to crippling obsessive behaviors. DiCaprio is one of the only actors alive capable of not just taking on such a role but owning it and making it successful. While DiCaprio 'grew up' with the 2002 releases of Gangs of New York and Catch Me If You Can, it was with The Aviator that he truly established himself as one of the finest actors working today.

The film's investigation of Hughes' career is utterly compelling, even as his flaws begin to shine through. When filming the aviation epic Hell's Angels, Hughes needs not 24 cameras, but 26, borrowing two cameras from a Hollywood mogul to make sure the scene is just right. His plane designs MUST meet certain specifications, consequences be damned (even if those consequences involve crashing through Beverly Hills in an airplane). The film's supporting cast plays wonderfully off of DiCaprio's Hughes. Alan Alda and Alec Baldwin act as great rivals for Hughes. Cate Blanchett and Kate Beckinsale, playing Katherine Hepburn and Ava Gardner, respectively, both make lasting impressions. In the film's funniest scene Hughes has a meteorological professor (Ian Holm) scientifically analyze Jane Russell's breasts in the movie The Outlaw before the film censorship board to 'prove' that she showed no more cleavage than other starlets. With The Aviator, the world's greatest living director found a biopic perfectly suited to his skills.

39. Batman Begins (Christopher Nolan, 2005)

IMDB users have rated The Dark Knight the 10th greatest movie of all time. This perturbs me not just because The Dark Knight is the most overrated movie in film history, but because somehow the movie has come to completely overshadow its far superior predecessor: Batman Begins. [This write-up will have spoilers for both Batman Begins and The Dark Knight.] I should preface the rest of this by saying I actually like The Dark Knight.

First, let's talk about the acting. In Batman Begins, Christian Bale is the perfect casting choice to bring something new to the role. Bale always brings intensity to his films and this role is no exception. But in Begins, Bruce Wayne/Batman has an actual character arc to follow: he grows from an immature young man to a believable hero. Wayne's training to become Batman, and his failures and struggles when starting out as the hero, are simply more compelling plots. The limitations of The Dark Knight script only allow Bale to do three things: smug Bruce Wayne, mopey and quiet Bruce Wayne and, worst of all, his Batman performance. As Batman, Bale gives the character a gravelly voice but in Dark Knight it feels like a spoof of the character - his growling is so over-the-top and embarrassing that it loses the believability found in Begins. Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman both have actual character development in Begins, whereas in Dark Knight they, and most of the rest of the supporting cast, simply appear and disappear from the film with no purpose, just because the script calls for it. Certainly, Heath Ledger gives one of the most compelling villain performances I've ever seen. But the villainous crew of Liam Neeson, Cillian Murphy and Ken Watanabe in Begins work better than the Ledger/Aaron Eckhart combination in Dark Knight as effective adversaries for Batman. The end of The Dark Knight careens wildly out-of-control as the motivations of Two-Face simply make no sense - there is literally no explanation (other than the plot 'needing' it) for why Harvey Dent would choose to go after Gordon and Batman instead of the Joker. Compare that to Liam Neeson's return in Batman Begins: the realization of Neeson's deception carries more emotional weight than anything in the second half of The Dark Knight, including Rachel's death. Also, and I'm not claiming she's a better actress overall, Katie Holmes is simply better in the Batman's girlfriend role than Maggie Gyllenhaal.

I don't want to go on-and-on forever about this so I'll focus on just a few more things about the movies. First of all, the action scenes, already poorly edited in Batman Begins, careen wildly out of control in The Dark Knight. It is literally impossible to follow some of the scenes as they are arranged: the flow of the action doesn't make sense and the viewer is required to guess what they're looking at and what is actually happening. The climax of Batman Begins is chaotic, exciting and relevant to the Batman character. The Dark Knights sees a putrid action scene with ridiculous Bat-sonar and a criminals versus citizens stare down to the death. That boat scene - will the normal people kill criminals to save themselves before the criminals kill them?!? - is the sort of scenario best left where it belongs: in the Saw series. The action in Begins is also grounded in reality - Bruce Wayne has to redesign his mask to protect his head more. In The Dark Knight it devolves into absurdity: somehow Bruce Wayne has access to a magical cell phone reading device that allows access to every cell phone conversation in Gotham but also to use the locations of the phones as a sort of sonar. Not only does this make no sense - why not use this technology to find the Joker sooner? - but the sonar is a vast deviation from the more believable technology in the first movie.

Clearly, I've turned this write-up into an assault on The Dark Knight. I guess I'm just annoyed that the decade's finest comic book adaptation has been sadly overlooked by its inferior successor.

38. Serenity (Joss Whedon, 2005)

In 2002, Fox aired a series called Firefly about a crew of, basically, cowboys in space from Joss Whedon, creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. On paper it's an absurd concept and Fox ran only 11 out of the 14 completed episodes (and ran them out of order too) before cancelling the show. But a funny thing happened on the way to obscurity: people started buying the show on DVD. And buying it. And buying it. And buying it. The buzz surrounding the deceased show spread. So successful were the sales of the DVD that Universal picked up the rights and decided to make a movie out of the series.

Serenity, the name derived from the crew's ship, is basically a Western in space, no aliens to be found here. As he does to all of his projects, Joss Whedon brings a unique vision. One area Whedon particularly excels in is dialogue. His characters all speak with a distinct lingo and humor that makes simple conversation a joy to watch. It helps as well that Whedon is a gifted director with a stellar sense of pace and a great understanding of where to put the camera. The show has the benefit of being perfectly cast as well. Each of the supporting players brings great life and humor to their roles, especially Alan Tudyk and Adam Baldwin. Nathan Fillion (now starring on TV's Castle) has the perfect wit and charm as the ship's smarmy, but lovable, captain.

Serenity is a great movie all by itself, but it is a more complete experience after watching Firefly. I highly recommend both.

NB: I feel I'd be remiss if I didn't mention one of Joss Whedon's other great creations this decade: Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog starring Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Fillion and Felicia Day. Dr. Horrible is a series of three musical 'webisodes' each running less than fifteen minutes. Created during the writer's strike on a shoestring budget out of Whedon's pocket, Dr. Horrible is one of the funniest and most charming achievements of the decade (and it can be found on hulu.com).

37. Star Trek (J.J. Abrams, 2009)

I think Star Trek is one of the most surprisingly successful gambles in film history. Prior to Star Trek's release, the 'brand' had almost no appeal outside of its core fanbase and even that group had wained over the years (2002's Star Trek: Nemesis is considered a financial and artistic failure). The series had little-to-no success outside of the United States. The studio then decided to 'reboot' the franchise, recasting all the characters who had grown to the point of cultural assimilation. Even without having seen an episode of the old Star Trek show, everyone knows who Kirk and Spock are. Then they decided to hire a director whose only previous big budget movie, Mission: Impossible III, was a gigantic disappointment at the box office. And they decided to give that director, J.J. Abrams, $160 million dollars to make the movie. And the studio was forced to delay the movie's release from Christmas 2008 to the summer of 2009 (right in the middle of the heavily anticipated trio of Wolverine, Angels & Demons and Terminator: Salvation) because it simply wasn't ready to be released. All the signs pointed to disaster, but somehow Abrams has crafted one of the most enjoyable blockbusters of the decade.

The film opens with one of my favorite scenes of the entire decade. In just the ten minutes of a gorgeously crafted and acted sequence, wherein the father of the movie's hero sacrifices himself to save the crew of his ship including his newborn son, J.J. Abrams does the impossible: he makes Star Trek cool for the first time in 30 years. And, from there, we're off. The story, set in the formative years of the well known Star Trek characters, focuses on the relationship between Kirk and Spock, once played by William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy now by perfectly cast Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto, and how the two grew from rivalry to friendship. All of the other actors are great as well and Abrams and the screenwriters are wise enough to give each character a proper introduction and a moment to stand out during the film.

The production designs are stellar; the new look of everything is clean, modern and impressive. It's almost like the iPod designers gave the Enterprise a once-over. The special effects are well used and the action sequences are exciting. The writers also came up with a cute device to frame the story that allows for a cameo from Leonard Nimoy as the original Spock - his performance, though limited in screen time, is touching and memorable. For my money, Michael Giacchino's theme for the movie, Enterprising Young Men, highlights one of the most distinct and exciting film scores of the decade. Simply put, my two hours at Star Trek were some of the most enjoyable I spent in a theater this entire decade.

36. Walk the Line (James Mangold, 2005)

A man (Joaquin Phoenix) convinces a producer, the same producer that discovered, among others, Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis and Roy Orbison, to give his gospel band an audition. They play a gospel song and clearly the producer is apathetic - the producer cuts them off mid-song and challenges the man to sing the one song he would sing if he was in the gutter dying, the song that would let God know how he felt about his time on Earth. From there, the man begins to play a song he wrote while in the Air Force: Folsom Prison Blues. At the moment he starts the song he's a nobody, one of countless struggling musicians. As he plays something changes. The producer sits up in his chair. The audience leans towards the screen. When the song ends, the man has become Johnny Cash.

That's my favorite scene in James Mangold's (3:10 to Yuma) stellar Johnny Cash biopic. It only works because of how spectacular Phoenix is in the lead role. Not just in his delivery of the song (and he has a great voice), but in his face and in his body language you see the transition. The film takes a broad treatment of Cash's life detailing from his youth through his ascent as a performer to his marital troubles and drug addictions culminating in his famous performance at Folsom Prison. The core that grounds most of the movie, however, is his relationship with June Carter. Carter, played by a never better Reese Witherspoon, brings an emotional heft and romantic core to the story. Their love story, difficult as it may be, remains at the heart of Walk the Line and it elevates the movie. One of the finest biopics of the decade, I'd recommend Walk the Line to anyone.

Runner-Up: Blood Diamond (Zwick, 2006)
Runner-Up: Open Water (Kentis, 2004)
Runner-Up: Cinderella Man (Howard, 2005)
Runner-Up: Tigerland (Schumacher, 2000)
Runner-Up: Best in Show (Guest, 2000)
Runner-Up: Letters from Iwo Jima (Eastwood, 2006)
Runner-Up: Saw (Wan, 2004)
101: Big Fish (Burton, 2003)
100: State of Play (Macdonald, 2009)
99: Marley & Me (Frankel, 2008)
98: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Fincher, 2008)
97: Sunshine (Boyle, 2007)
96: 8 Mile (Hanson, 2002)
95: 21 Grams (Iñárritu, 2003)
94: The Hurt Locker (Bigelow, 2009)
93: Y tu mamá también (Cuaron, 2001)
92: Breach (Ray, 2007)
91: Away from Her (Polley, 2007)
90: Stranger Than Fiction (Forster, 2006)
89: Old School (Phillips, 2003)
88: The Queen (Frears, 2006)
87: Garden State (Braff, 2004)
86: Miracle (O'Connor, 2004)
85: Banlieue 13 (Morel, 2004)
84: The Fall (Singh, 2008)
83: Spider-Man/Spider-Man 2.1 (Raimi, 2002/2004)
82: The Last King of Scotland (Macdonald, 2006)
81: Pineapple Express (Green, 2008)
80: Into the Wild (Penn, 2007)
79: Juno (Reitman, 2007)
78: Cast Away (Zemeckis, 2000)
77: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Burton, 2007)
76: The 40 Year Old Virgin (Apatow, 2005)
75: Michael Clayton (Gilroy, 2007)
74: Friday Night Lights (Berg, 2004)
73: The Descent (Marshall, 2006)
72: In the Loop (Iannucci, 2009)
71: In the Shadow of the Moon (Sington, 2007)
70: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (Black, 2005)
69: No Country for Old Men (Coen/Coen, 2007)
68: Superbad (Mottola, 2007)
67: Insomnia (Nolan, 2002)
66: The Road (Hillcoat, 2009)
65: Defiance (Zwick, 2008)
64: Up in the Air (Reitman, 2009)
63: Eastern Promises (Cronenberg, 2007)
62: Finding Nemo (Stanton, 2003)
61: Låt den rätte komma in (Alfredson, 2008)
60: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (Verbinski, 2003)
59: Forgetting Sarah Marshall (Stoller, 2008)
58: Hot Fuzz (Wright, 2007)
57: Moon (Jones, 20009)
56: Collateral (Mann, 2004)
55: Munich (Spielberg, 2005)
54: The Visitor (McCarthy, 2008)
53: El orfanato (Bayona, 2007)
52: Hellboy II: The Golden Army (del Toro, 2008)
51: Adaptation. (Jonze, 2002)
50: Gangs of New York (Scorsese, 2002)
49: (500) Days of Summer (Webb, 2009)
48: Catch Me If You Can (Spielberg, 2002)
47: 3:10 to Yuma (Mangold, 2007)
46: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Cuaron, 2004)
45: The Cove (Psihoyos, 2009)
44: Iron Man (Favreau, 2008)
43: District 9 (Blomkamp, 2009)
42: Atonement (Wright, 2007)
41: The Incredibles (Bird, 2004)
40: The Aviator (Scorsese, 2004)
39: Batman Begins (Nolan, 2005)
38: Serenity (Whedon, 2005)
37: Star Trek (Abrams, 2009)
36: Walk the Line (Mangold, 2005)

Runners-Up
101-96
95-91
90-86
85-81
80-76
75-71
70-66
65-61
60-56
55-51
50-46
45-41

Top 101 Movies of the Decade (45-41)

2010-03-02T09:36:00.004-05:00

45. The Cove (Louis Psihoyos, 2009)

Generally speaking, I don't much care for "message" documentaries. The Cove is the exception to that rule. The Cove deals with the Japanese slaughter of dolphins but not from the pedantic perspective you might expect. Rather than preach, the movie plays out like a great heist movie. Specifically, the movie shows the efforts of a group of activists to break into a guarded Japanese cove where it is believed dolphins are killed. Similar to Ocean's 11 each character has a specific role to play in the infiltration: camera men, drivers, free divers, etc.

The film focuses on Rick O'Barry, who had been the trainer on the Flipper TV show. That experience with dolphins led him to a life of activism. O'Barry and director Louis Psihoyos mastermind the effort to investigate what happens in the cove in the Japanese fishing town of Taiji. Often it is easy to be put off by hard line activists on any side of any issue, but O'Barry (and most of the other infiltrators) come off as informed, intelligent and reasonable. The Cove is one of the most exciting and affecting documentaries I've ever seen.

As The Cove is one of only two documentaries making my Top 101 - along with #71 In the Shadow of the Moon - I feel I'd be remiss if I didn't mention a few of the other great documentaries this past decade. Below are my Top 10 best documentaries not on the Top 101:

10: Encounters at the End of the World (Werner Herzog, 2008)
A compelling study of the eclectic set of characters that choose to live and work in Antarctica.

9: Wordplay (Patrick Creadon, 2006)
A quirky documentary about the creator, players and world champions of the New York Times' Crossword puzzles.

8: Grizzly Man (Werner Herzog, 2005)
The story of a nature loving activist who chose to try to live among wild bears in Alaska.

7: Murderball (Henry Alex Rubin/Dana Adam Shapiro, 2005)
Murderball is a compelling study of the paraplegic sport of full contact wheel chair rugby.

6: Super Size Me (Morgan Spurlock, 2004)
Spurlock's unique style as a documentarian is so effective that he was given his own TV show, 30 Days, to continue his madcap experience experiments.

5: Man on Wire (James Marsh, 2008)
Fascinating documentary about a man who illegally crossed between the towers of the World Trade Center...while walking on a wire 110 stories in the air.

4: The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (Seth Gordon, 2007)
The story of the effort to set the world record high score in King Kong told hilariously as high tension sports drama.

3: Tyson (James Toback, 2009)
James Toback's documentary is a fascinating study of the psyche of one of the most controversial athletes of the century.

2: Lost in La Mancha (Keith Fulton/Louis Pepe, 2002)
Lost in La Mancha fascinatingly tells of Johnny Depp and Terry Gilliam's quixotic efforts to get a Don Quixote movie made.

1: No Direction Home: Bob Dylan (Martin Scorsese, 2005)
Martin Scorsese's Bob Dylan documentary was one of the hardest cuts to make from the list.

44. Iron Man (Jon Favreau, 2008)

Iron Man is one of the most enjoyable film experiences of the decade. Carried on the strength of Robert Downey, Jr.'s exceptional lead performance, Iron Man is unique among comic book movies. Rather than the mopey self-important heroes of Spider-Man or Batman, billionaire industrialist Tony Stark (Downey) has fun being a superhero. The entire cast helps support this with wonderful chemistry and interplay. Jeff Bridges makes for a worthy mentor-cum-adversary. Downey and Paltrow have magnificent chemistry. Removed from the self-important movies she's been doing this decade, Paltrow seems to be having fun again. The actress who was so charming in Shakespeare in Love returns in each crackling scene with Robert Downey, Jr.

Beyond the great acting, Iron Man works on a number of other levels. All of the dialogue works thanks to a witty script that loses the self-serious air that permeates the genre. The production designs are spectacular: from the set designs to the costumes everything works. More importantly (and unlike fellow 2008 summer release The Dark Knight), the action is easy to follow because director Jon Favreau competently constructs each scene. Absent are the jump cuts and choppy editing present in far too many action scenes these days. I look forward to seeing where Downey and Favreau take the character when Iron Man 2 is released this May.

43. District 9 (Neil Blomkamp, 2009)

Originally, Fox hired Peter Jackson to oversee the creation of a movie based on the video game series Halo. Tasked with finding a director, Peter Jackson chose South African director Neil Blomkamp to head up the potential big budget franchise on the strength of a short film Blomkamp made called Alive in Joburg. Alive in Joburg dealt, much like District 9, with the lives of alien invaders sequestered in apartheid South Africa after arriving on Earth. When the Halo film fell apart because of studio drama, Neil Blomkamp decided to go back to that original story and expand on its ideas. His choice was rewarded with a best picture nomination.

The first stroke of genius in District 9 is the casting of total unknown Sharlto Copley in the lead role. Copley, a writer, director and producer by trade, gives one hell of a performance in the lead role. Copley's character, Wikus Van De Merwe, is tasked with leading the effort to move the ghettoized aliens of District 9 to District 10, removed from the population of Johannesburg. His character transitions believably from something of a nebbish pencil pusher to a desperate man to something more...

There's so much more in District 9 worth talking about, from the stellar special effect to the beautiful cinematography to visceral and exciting action scenes, but it's best to leave each of you to discover the secrets of District 9 on your own.

NB: I do just want to say that District 9 had some of the most creative marketing I've seen for a movie leading up to its release. The mystery of District 9 was played up and subtle advertising (complete with phone and internet 'viral' marketing that sold the premise as real) helped complete the picture.

42. Atonement (Joe Wright, 2007)

Atonement features the single greatest camera shot of the entire decade; it is, perhaps, the greatest of all time. British soldier Robbie Turner arrives at the beach at Dunkirk and the camera follows him as he as walks and talks with a commanding officer. As Robbie continues to walk along the beach the camera follows him, past the soldiers preparing to escape mainland Europe back to England. Along the way the camera sometimes leaves Robbie: focusing on a man atop a grounded ship here, on a soldiers' choir there and various other little moments leading up to the evacuation of 300,000 individuals. The shot lasts nearly five minutes and was accomplished, in part, by having a marching band play so that all of the actors and extras could time where they're supposed to be. It is simply breathtaking to watch.

Of course, Atonement is about more than one great shot. At its core are two principal plots: a love story and a story of guilt. The love story deals with a young woman, Cecilia (Keira Knightley), from an aristocratic family that falls for the son of the family housekeeper (James McAvoy). Both are wonderful in the roles and the chemistry between the two shines through. Upon finally growing the courage to act upon their feelings, the two are torn apart because of the misunderstanding of Cecilia's young sister Briony. Briony in the film is played by three different actresses (each depicting the character at a different age). Each is effective and memorable in her own way, but the standout of the group is young Saiorse Ronan. Ronan (also great as the lead in Peter Jackson's The Lovely Bones) crafts Briony in a way that is loathsome, but at the same time somewhat understandable - it is her lie that tears the couple apart. The other actresses, Romola Garai and Vanessa Redgrave, are left to redeem the character, to help her find atonement.

Director Joe Wright has done great work in all respects here. The adaptation is pitch perfect: Wright, and writer Christopher Hampton, understand that the adaptation process is about capturing the spirit and the core of a novel, not the page by page recreation that literary snobs seem to demand (only to decry the film's inferiority, of course). Wright also found great success this past decade adapting Pride and Prejudice in a manner that, while upsetting Jane Austen purists with changes, brought the story to life in a compelling and approachable way. Atonement, beyond the Dunkirk shot, is phenomenally well made. Every shot in the film is vibrant and beautifully lensed.

41. The Incredibles (Brad Bird, 2004)

Brad Bird, who also made Ratatouille and the prodigiously underrated The Iron Giant, has a gift at using broad appealing animation to get across subtle points. On the face of it, The Incredibles is the action story of a family of superheroes tackling a nemesis. But at a deeper level, Bird has something to say about modern society. Mr. Incredible is forced into retirement, and an absurd desk job, not because of ineffectiveness or age, but because of tort law suits in the aftermath of his heroic deeds. All of the voice actors, especially Craig T. Nelson, are wonderfully cast and give pitch perfect performances.

I make no secret of my admiration and affection for the work done by Pixar. The Incredibles marks a transitional period for the company. Prior to Brad Bird's superhero spoof, the company had made great kid's movies that held a broader appeal (Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc, A Bug's Life). After the success of The Incredibles, Pixar began making great movies that also appealed to children (Up, WALL-E, Ratatouille). It is a subtle distinction but it's one that has helped Pixar mature into being the finest and most consistent studio working today. The Incredibles is hilarious and exciting, but it also works as an effective satire on 1950s Americana.

Runner-Up: Blood Diamond (Zwick, 2006)
Runner-Up: Open Water (Kentis, 2004)
Runner-Up: Cinderella Man (Howard, 2005)
Runner-Up: Tigerland (Schumacher, 2000)
Runner-Up: Best in Show (Guest, 2000)
Runner-Up: Letters from Iwo Jima (Eastwood, 2006)
Runner-Up: Saw (Wan, 2004)
101: Big Fish (Burton, 2003)
100: State of Play (Macdonald, 2009)
99: Marley & Me (Frankel, 2008)
98: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Fincher, 2008)
97: Sunshine (Boyle, 2007)
96: 8 Mile (Hanson, 2002)
95: 21 Grams (Iñárritu, 2003)
94: The Hurt Locker (Bigelow, 2009)
93: Y tu mamá también (Cuaron, 2001)
92: Breach (Ray, 2007)
91: Away from Her (Polley, 2007)
90: Stranger Than Fiction (Forster, 2006)
89: Old School (Phillips, 2003)
88: The Queen (Frears, 2006)
87: Garden State (Braff, 2004)
86: Miracle (O'Connor, 2004)
85: Banlieue 13 (Morel, 2004)
84: The Fall (Singh, 2008)
83: Spider-Man/Spider-Man 2.1 (Raimi, 2002/2004)
82: The Last King of Scotland (Macdonald, 2006)
81: Pineapple Express (Green, 2008)
80: Into the Wild (Penn, 2007)
79: Juno (Reitman, 2007)
78: Cast Away (Zemeckis, 2000)
77: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Burton, 2007)
76: The 40 Year Old Virgin (Apatow, 2005)
75: Michael Clayton (Gilroy, 2007)
74: Friday Night Lights (Berg, 2004)
73: The Descent (Marshall, 2006)
72: In the Loop (Iannucci, 2009)
71: In the Shadow of the Moon (Sington, 2007)
70: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (Black, 2005)
69: No Country for Old Men (Coen/Coen, 2007)
68: Superbad (Mottola, 2007)
67: Insomnia (Nolan, 2002)
66: The Road (Hillcoat, 2009)
65: Defiance (Zwick, 2008)
64: Up in the Air (Reitman, 2009)
63: Eastern Promises (Cronenberg, 2007)
62: Finding Nemo (Stanton, 2003)
61: Låt den rätte komma in (Alfredson, 2008)
60: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (Verbinski, 2003)
59: Forgetting Sarah Marshall (Stoller, 2008)
58: Hot Fuzz (Wright, 2007)
57: Moon (Jones, 20009)
56: Collateral (Mann, 2004)
55: Munich (Spielberg, 2005)
54: The Visitor (McCarthy, 2008)
53: El orfanato (Bayona, 2007)
52: Hellboy II: The Golden Army (del Toro, 2008)
51: Adaptation. (Jonze, 2002)
50: Gangs of New York (Scorsese, 2002)
49: (500) Days of Summer (Webb, 2009)
48: Catch Me If You Can (Spielberg, 2002)
47: 3:10 to Yuma (Mangold, 2007)
46: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Cuaron, 2004)
45: The Cove (Psihoyos, 2009)
44: Iron Man (Favreau, 2008)
43: District 9 (Blomkamp, 2009)
42: Atonement (Wright, 2007)
41: The Incredibles (Bird, 2004)

Runners-Up
101-96
95-91
90-86
85-81
80-76
75-71
70-66
65-61
60-56
55-51
50-46

Top 101 Movies of the Decade (50-46)

2010-02-26T09:37:00.005-05:00

50. Gangs of New York (Martin Scorsese, 2002)

Gangs of New York is Martin Scorsese's moderately insane tale of New York City in the 1800s. Opening in 1846, the tale begins with a battle between a nativist gang, led by Bill the Butcher (Daniel Day-Lewis), and the Irish street gant, led by Priest Vallon (Liam Neeson). The initial battle is beautifully structured and is a wonderful vignette to open film. Neeson is compelling here, his character treating the preparation for battle with a near religious significance. Of course, the battle ends with Bill the Butcher killing Vallon, in view of Vallon's son.

Jump to 1863, with the threat of the Civil War draft hanging in the air, Amsterdam Vallon (Leonardo DiCaprio) seeks revenge against the man who killed his father. Scorsese's vision of New York is sprawling and epic - the locations were all built from scratch to completion on Italian soundstages. The sets, and use of extras, are so effective and compelling that they very nearly become distracting.

Both lead actors are magnificent. DiCaprio, who might have had the finest decade of any actor, brings surprising intensity and weight to the role. This performance was part of DiCaprio's transition from great child actor to one of the best in the business. Daniel Day-Lewis gives one of the most effectively over-the-top performances of the decade. Bill the Butcher is a fascinating and menacing figure, it's impossible to turn away when he is on screen. Day-Lewis would give a markedly similar performance late in the decade in Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood. There the performance devolves into scenery chewing by the end - it was too much for the material - here it fits perfectly into Scorsese's vision.

49. (500) Days of Summer (Marc Webb, 2009)

(500) Days of Summer is the truest romantic comedy on the modern male perspective on relationships and dating I've seen. It's also my favorite romantic comedy of the decade. Starring a perfectly cast tandem of Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel, the film is a romantic comedy with a twist. The film is told out of order, bouncing around the relationship between Tom (Gordon-Levitt) and Summer (Deschanel). The careful editing creates a number of great juxtapositions and, in a way, it captures how memory works. When you think back on a relationship with someone, it's never chronological - the memories come in waves, each building off the predecessor and leading to the next. (500) Days of Summer captures this wonderfully.

In another twist on genre (and gender) convention, Tom is the hopeless romantic and Summer simply doesn't believe in true love. Both actors are wonderful. Their performances are honest and genuine - it helps that the two seem to have a great natural chemistry together. The film also has two of my favorite scenes of 2009: one an unexpected, and hilarious, musical number and the other a fascinating and quite literal examination of expectations and hopes versus reality.

Director Marc Webb has a wonderful sense of creativity, style and emotion - I can only hope he brings those sensibilities to the set when he takes over the reboot of the Spider-Man series in the coming years.

48. Catch Me If You Can (Steven Spielberg, 2002)

In a decade so centered on looking at the dark underbelly of 50s and 60s Americana (Far From Heaven, Revolutionary Road, TV's Mad Men, among many others), one of the aughts' most likable movies embraced the myth. Filmed with a bright, cheery, almost reverent air, Catch Me If You Can tells the true story of Frank Abagnale, Jr., a teenager who realizes he has a gift at lying and conning and proceeds to use his skills to finagle millions of dollars. The film is perfectly cast, starting with the stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks. Tom Hanks brings to life what should be the second banana role as the investigator after Abagnale. Christopher Walken and Martin Sheen are both memorable in smaller roles. It speaks to the quality of the casting that so many of the women cast in relatively small roles for Abagnale to pursue have gone on to great things: Jennifer Garner, Amy Adams, Elizabeth Banks, Ellen Pompeo.

In a way, this is the perfect role for Leonardo DiCaprio. As an actor, DiCaprio is blessed with a the gift of likability. He is effortlessly charming and, seemingly, has to consciously tone it down at times in his roles. Here he puts his charm to full effect. Frank Abagnale is a con man, but not the over-prepared Danny Ocean-type. He flies by the seat of his pants, often creating and selling elaborate fictions with an effortless confidence. One example: having transferred to a new high school, Abagnale walks into his classroom. Realizing the class is expecting a substitute, the charm kicks in. He walks to the board and writes his name down, then instructs the class, in no uncertain terms, exactly how his last name is to be pronounced. It's a great scene to watch - utterly amazing but completely believable.

Steven Spielberg is the master of high quality, mass appeal movies. He is the perfect director for this material and it shows, each scene is brought to life with a sense of wonder and joy. This is one of the most fun movies of the decade.

47. 3:10 to Yuma (James Mangold, 2007)

For whatever reason, the Western has never really captured my imagination. But the combination of stars Russell Crowe and Christian Bale and Walk the Line director James Mangold drew me to the theater regardless. And what a great experience it was. The plot is simple: gang leader Ben Wade (Crowe) is captured and Dan Evans (Bale) is part of the crew who must escort Wade to the 3:10 train to Yuma and prison.

James Mangold has a gift for getting the best out of his actors (see: Walk the Line, Cop Land, Girl, Interrupted) and Yuma is no exception. When properly motivated, Russell Crowe is as fine an actor as there is today. Here he is motivated. He brings the Wade character to life in a way that is impressive and menacing, without ever resorting to histrionic scenery chewing. Perhaps more impressive is Christian Bale's work. Playing the quiet noble hero is often a thankless role, but Bale does stellar work often with just a simple facial expression. This is the Bale whose work I love, not the impostor chewing the scenery in The Dark Knight and Terminator Salvation. The movie's greatest scene occurs when Crowe and Bale are together in a hotel prior to the film's inevitable final shootout. Each plays the scene perfectly, giving it great wit and impact. If only they made more Westerns like this...

46. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Alfonso Cuaron, 2004)

The Harry Potter series might be one of the most impressive accomplishments of the decade in film. Not just because the entire series is actually going to get made (this never happens, just ask the Narnia producers), but because the series has actually grown in quality since its inception. The series began with two doggedly faithful adaptations to J.K. Rowling's original work from director Christopher Columbus. Neither film is particularly compelling, but their genius is in the casting that shines through in the later films. Every single actor in the series is perfectly cast, without exception. The third film deals specifically with the escape of a deadly wizard named Sirius Black (Gary Oldman). The story is far more menacing than the first two as Black represents a tangible and frightening threat to our heroes.

It isn't until this story that the core trio of Daniel Radcliffe (Harry), Rupert Grint (Ron) and Emma Watson (Hermione) really get a chance to shine. Gone is the mugging for the camera seen in the first film, replaced with legitimate performances. Radcliffe in particular begins to show himself as a soulful and effective actor. Alan Rickman is incredibly amusing as the hated Professor Snape. Michael Gambon, replacing the deceased Richard Harris, manages to improve on the performance of a cinema legend. Maggie Smith, Robbie Coltrane and Jason Isaacs are also effective. David Thewlis joins the cast as a professor who had known Harry's now-deceased parents. He brings a tender nurturing quality to the role that's incredibly effective. Gary Oldman is one of the most versatile actors around and he's at his best here. There's a sense throughout the whole film that all the actors really believe in this material and embrace it.

Now what distinguishes Prisoner of Azkaban from the other Potter movies? The spectacular direction of Alfonso Cuaron. Cuaron's glimpse into the world of Harry Potter is so effective because the magic takes a backseat, it becomes a natural part of the world the characters inhabit. The film is beautiful to look at, everything from the set designs to the special effects (the Dementors are a frightening visual creation) to color palette of each scene all work to enhance the mood. Cuaron, as well, captures the loneliness and longing that underlies the Potter character in a way that has eluded the other directors. There is a sadness in Harry - he grew up friendless with an aunt and uncle who never wanted him after his parents were murdered - and Cuaron embraces that aspect of the character to great effect. While the first two films, Sorcerer's Stone and Chamber of Secrets, are full of wonder at the world of wizards, Azkaban, to its benefit, acts as a more focused character study. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is one of the finest fantasy films of the decade.

I should mention that the series has gone on strong since Cuaron's film. The fourth movie, Mike Newell's Goblet of Fire, is, while a step down from Cuaron's work, an improvement on the first two. For the fifth film director David Yates took over to great effect. He returned for the sixth film and is currently putting the finishing touches on the seventh and eighth films (the final book is being produced as two films). His dark and spectacularly well made take on the series in Order of the Phoenix and Half-Blood Prince was a very near miss for my Top 101.

Runner-Up: Blood Diamond (Zwick, 2006)
Runner-Up: Open Water (Kentis, 2004)
Runner-Up: Cinderella Man (Howard, 2005)
Runner-Up: Tigerland (Schumacher, 2000)
Runner-Up: Best in Show (Guest, 2000)
Runner-Up: Letters from Iwo Jima (Eastwood, 2006)
Runner-Up: Saw (Wan, 2004)
101: Big Fish (Burton, 2003)
100: State of Play (Macdonald, 2009)
99: Marley & Me (Frankel, 2008)
98: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Fincher, 2008)
97: Sunshine (Boyle, 2007)
96: 8 Mile (Hanson, 2002)
95: 21 Grams (Iñárritu, 2003)
94: The Hurt Locker (Bigelow, 2009)
93: Y tu mamá también (Cuaron, 2001)
92: Breach (Ray, 2007)
91: Away from Her (Polley, 2007)
90: Stranger Than Fiction (Forster, 2006)
89: Old School (Phillips, 2003)
88: The Queen (Frears, 2006)
87: Garden State (Braff, 2004)
86: Miracle (O'Connor, 2004)
85: Banlieue 13 (Morel, 2004)
84: The Fall (Singh, 2008)
83: Spider-Man/Spider-Man 2.1 (Raimi, 2002/2004)
82: The Last King of Scotland (Macdonald, 2006)
81: Pineapple Express (Green, 2008)
80: Into the Wild (Penn, 2007)
79: Juno (Reitman, 2007)
78: Cast Away (Zemeckis, 2000)
77: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Burton, 2007)
76: The 40 Year Old Virgin (Apatow, 2005)
75: Michael Clayton (Gilroy, 2007)
74: Friday Night Lights (Berg, 2004)
73: The Descent (Marshall, 2006)
72: In the Loop (Iannucci, 2009)
71: In the Shadow of the Moon (Sington, 2007)
70: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (Black, 2005)
69: No Country for Old Men (Coen/Coen, 2007)
68: Superbad (Mottola, 2007)
67: Insomnia (Nolan, 2002)
66: The Road (Hillcoat, 2009)
65: Defiance (Zwick, 2008)
64: Up in the Air (Reitman, 2009)
63: Eastern Promises (Cronenberg, 2007)
62: Finding Nemo (Stanton, 2003)
61: Låt den rätte komma in (Alfredson, 2008)
60: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (Verbinski, 2003)
59: Forgetting Sarah Marshall (Stoller, 2008)
58: Hot Fuzz (Wright, 2007)
57: Moon (Jones, 20009)
56: Collateral (Mann, 2004)
55: Munich (Spielberg, 2005)
54: The Visitor (McCarthy, 2008)
53: El orfanato (Bayona, 2007)
52: Hellboy II: The Golden Army (del Toro, 2008)
51: Adaptation. (Jonze, 2002)
50: Gangs of New York (Scorsese, 2002)
49: (500) Days of Summer (Webb, 2009)
48: Catch Me If You Can (Spielberg, 2002)
47: 3:10 to Yuma (Mangold, 2007)
46: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Cuaron, 2004)

Runners-Up
101-96
95-91
90-86
85-81
80-76
75-71
70-66
65-61
60-56
55-51

BAFTA Artwork

2010-02-24T10:14:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to show these phenomenal designs by artist Tavis Caburn. Each is based on one of the BAFTA (the British equivalent of the Academy Awards) Best Picture nominees. Enjoy.

Avatar

An Education

The Hurt Locker

Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire

Up in the Air

Top 101 Movies of the Decade (55-51)

2010-02-23T08:38:00.005-05:00

55. Munich (Steven Spielberg, 2005)

Munich is one of the most interesting projects in Steven Spielberg's varied resume. Munich tells the story of a team of Israeli assassins assigned to eliminate various individuals associated with the attack at the 1972 Munich Olympics. Eric Bana gives the best performance of his career as the former Mossad agent tasked with leading the team. Bana, always a soulful and contemplative actor, puts his skill set to powerful effect here. Particularly effective are Bana's handful of scenes with Mathieu Amalric (great in El scaphandre et le papillon and as the villain in Quantum of Solace), who plays the informant that helps the team acquire their targets. Daniel Craig's powerful gravitas stands out as the team's wheelman. Each assassination stands out as uniquely compelling thanks to the emphasis on both the preparation for and aftermath of the attack on each target. Spielberg's direction is, as always, a thing of beauty: particularly memorable is his staggering depictions of the actual Munich massacre.

54. The Visitor (Thomas McCarthy, 2008)

Sometimes one of the best things to happen to a movie is to give a career character actor a chance to star in a role that suits his strengths. Richard Jenkins has roughly eighty credits on his resume over the past 25 years, hardly any of them in a leading roll. From junky action movies like The Core to goofy comedies like Step Brothers to more serious dramas like Snow Falling on Cedars, Jenkins often got just a scant few moments to make an impression. Thomas McCarthy made the very wise decision to give Jenkins an opportunity to lead in The Visitor. Jenkins plays a college professor, emotionally detached and disinterested since the passing of his wife. It isn't until returning to his New York City apartment and finding a couple living there that he begins to come to life. Feeling sympathy for the difficulties of the couple, illegal immigrants who had been scammed into staying at his apartment, he invites them to stay with him and gradually forms a connection with the couple based around music. Jenkins' wife had been a pianist and his new ward, Syrian immigrant Tarek, is a virtuoso on the drum. Jenkins as well forms a bond with Tarek's mother, played with great depth by Hiam Abbass. The scenes between them, each character damaged by loss in their life, have a wonderful delicacy and depth to them. Abbass gives one of the most subtly devastating performances of the decade. The film also deals effectively with issues of illegal immigration and deportation in a personal and effective manner, never falling into the preachy and didactic nonsense of films like Crash and Crossing Over. Often character actors are recognized by the viewer with a sense of deja vu ("Where do I know that guy from...?"); after seeing his performance in The Visitor I'm confident you'll know who Richard Jenkins is.

53. El orfanato (Juan Antonio Bayona, 2007)

I first saw The Orphanage - as it's known in the U.S. - at one of its first screening in the United States at a midnight showing (reserved for horror movies) at the New York Film Festival. In attendance were the star, Belén Rueda, and the director, first time movie director Juan Antonio Bayona. Prior to the film's start both spoke about what drew them to the project and it was clear that each had a real passion for the movie - also clear was that Bayona was incredibly nervous to see how the movie would play for an American audience. Turns out he had absolutely nothing to worry about, The Orphanage was one of the most enjoyable theatrical experiences I've ever had. The entire audience bought into the movie from the opening moments and each scare was met with shouts and nervous laughter after the fact - it's one of the most remarkable collective experience I've ever seen during a movie.

The Orphanage is about a woman who, with the help of her husband, purchases the orphanage she grew up in so that she can re-open it and help disabled children. Of course, not all is as it seems. Soon the couple's adopted son begins to tell his parents about the friend he has made: a boy named Tomás that only he can see and happens to wear a sack mask. Gradually the mystery of the home is pulled back. Belén Rueda is great in the lead role; she brings a great brooding focus to her performance. Bayona does a magnificent job playing upon the tension a good horror movie creates, delivering genuinely frightening moments and haunting imagery. The Orphanage is the best ghost story of the decade and is definitely worth watching with all the lights turned off late at night.

52. Hellboy II: The Golden Army (Guillermo del Toro, 2008)

While the first Hellboy was an enjoyable genre movie, it's with the sequel that the characters and action really come to life. Perhaps it was the move to a new studio, Universal, or Guillermo del Toro's growth as a director over the course of the decade or just a better plot, but whatever the reason Hellboy II has an incredible sense of life to it. Bolstered by the radiant directorial eye of Guillermo del Toro, Hellboy II has some of the most stark and interesting images of the decade.

Hellboy II has a remarkable cast, all of whom completely embrace the eccentric nature of the material. Hellboy himself is a rather absurd hero: a giant red demon with a penchant for beer and cigars with a soft spot for cats. But, Ron Perlman brings the character to life despite acting through a heavy array of make-up and prosthetics. Doug Jones also brings life to the material as Hellboy's sidekick Abe. In his career, Jones has generally only ever played the character under the make-up - he has a remarkable way of moving that imbues his characters with an otherworldly sort of life. In fact, in the first Hellboy actor David Hyde Pierce was hired to do the voice work for Jones' physical acting. Here Guillermo del Toro allows Jones to do his own voice work to spectacular effect. Jones imbues his character with a touching charm that lets his character's love story - a secondary plot - shine through as one of the most touching romances of its year. Obviously it's absurd - a teal man-fish falling in love with a golden princess creature - but del Toro is probably the one director on Earth who can make such a plot vibrant.

Del Toro seems to have grown as a writer. Responsible for writing both Hellboy films, del Toro's words have more life and efficacy to them the second go round. The characters are funnier, more well rounded and more believable. The action is also filmed in a way that, unlike its fellow comic book movie of 2008: The Dark Knight, makes sense from an editing and spatial perspective. One of the worst trends of the past decade was the growth of choppy jump-cut editing techniques in action scenes. The idea is that very short shots strung together can make a scene appear more exciting and can provide more dynamic views of the action, but the reality is that the oft-abused technique tends to make the action incredibly difficult to follow, if not entirely nonsensical (Quantum of Solace was a notably bad offender). Very few directors - one example being Paul Greengrass in the Bourne sequels - can competently manage the technique. Del Toro is wise enough to stage his action is a manner that allows for longer shots and action scenes that have a logical flow. Further, one of del Toro's best traits as a director is his appreciation for great prosthetic and model work. Every single fantastical character in Hellboy II of roughly human proportion is made of stellar costume and make-up work, not the distracting, and often ineffectual, CGI that directors so often rely upon.

I know the concept is silly on paper, but del Toro is the master at bringing this sort of film to life. Hellboy II is one of the best comic book and one of the best fantasy movies of the decade.

NB: I strongly recommend Guillermo del Toro's stellar novel The Strain. It's something of a modern take on the vampire story with a bit of CSI thrown in and is co-written by Chuck Hogan (whose own novel, Prince of Thieves, is being adapted by director Ben Affleck for a 2010 release).

51. Adaptation. (Spike Jonze, 2002)

One of the most fascinatingly bizarre movies of the decade, Adaptation. tells the story of a man's struggle to adapt a non-fiction book about the orchid industry, but also a story about smarmy con men involved in orchid smuggling and thievery. I don't want to say much about the plot because of the film's joy is discovering all of the bizarre and unexpected twists. As an actor, Nicolas Cage is a strange enigma to me. Just this past decade, Cage was so awful and hammy in movies like Next, Windtalkers and The Wicker Man, but, at the same time, so effective in films like Matchstick Men, Lord of War and The Weather Man. Adaptation. is good Nic Cage. Here he plays the struggling writer attempting to adapt the orchid book and also his twin brother who wants to turn the book into a clichéd thriller. Without any difference in make-up or hair, Cage crafts two characters that are instantly recognizable and distinctive. Chris Cooper is great as the orchid thief at the core of the story. Director Spike Jonze, who also directed Being John Malkovich and Where the Wild Things Are, and writer Charlie Kaufman make up one of the most bizarre, creative and compelling production tandems possible in Hollywood.

Runner-Up: Blood Diamond (Zwick, 2006)
Runner-Up: Open Water (Kentis, 2004)
Runner-Up: Cinderella Man (Howard, 2005)
Runner-Up: Tigerland (Schumacher, 2000)
Runner-Up: Best in Show (Guest, 2000)
Runner-Up: Letters from Iwo Jima (Eastwood, 2006)
Runner-Up: Saw (Wan, 2004)
101: Big Fish (Burton, 2003)
100: State of Play (Macdonald, 2009)
99: Marley & Me (Frankel, 2008)
98: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Fincher, 2008)
97: Sunshine (Boyle, 2007)
96: 8 Mile (Hanson, 2002)
95: 21 Grams (Iñárritu, 2003)
94: The Hurt Locker (Bigelow, 2009)
93: Y tu mamá también (Cuaron, 2001)
92: Breach (Ray, 2007)
91: Away from Her (Polley, 2007)
90: Stranger Than Fiction (Forster, 2006)
89: Old School (Phillips, 2003)
88: The Queen (Frears, 2006)
87: Garden State (Braff, 2004)
86: Miracle (O'Connor, 2004)
85: Banlieue 13 (Morel, 2004)
84: The Fall (Singh, 2008)
83: Spider-Man/Spider-Man 2.1 (Raimi, 2002/2004)
82: The Last King of Scotland (Macdonald, 2006)
81: Pineapple Express (Green, 2008)
80: Into the Wild (Penn, 2007)
79: Juno (Reitman, 2007)
78: Cast Away (Zemeckis, 2000)
77: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Burton, 2007)
76: The 40 Year Old Virgin (Apatow, 2005)
75: Michael Clayton (Gilroy, 2007)
74: Friday Night Lights (Berg, 2004)
73: The Descent (Marshall, 2006)
72: In the Loop (Iannucci, 2009)
71: In the Shadow of the Moon (Sington, 2007)
70: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (Black, 2005)
69: No Country for Old Men (Coen/Coen, 2007)
68: Superbad (Mottola, 2007)
67: Insomnia (Nolan, 2002)
66: The Road (Hillcoat, 2009)
65: Defiance (Zwick, 2008)
64: Up in the Air (Reitman, 2009)
63: Eastern Promises (Cronenberg, 2007)
62: Finding Nemo (Stanton, 2003)
61: Låt den rätte komma in (Alfredson, 2008)
60: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (Verbinski, 2003)
59: Forgetting Sarah Marshall (Stoller, 2008)
58: Hot Fuzz (Wright, 2007)
57: Moon (Jones, 20009)
56: Collateral (Mann, 2004)
55: Munich (Spielberg, 2005)
54: The Visitor (McCarthy, 2008)
53: El orfanato (Bayona, 2007)
52: Hellboy II: The Golden Army (del Toro, 2008)
51: Adaptation. (Jonze, 2002)

Runners-Up
101-96
95-91
90-86
85-81
80-76
75-71
70-66
65-61
60-56

Top 101 Movies of the Decade (60-56)

2010-02-22T19:28:00.006-05:00

60. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (Gore Verbinski, 2003)

What could possibly be less appealing than a nearly two and half hour movie based on a Disney theme park ride? I can't have been the only person thinking that as I ventured to the theater back in the summer of '03 (ironically that theater was in Orlando, Florida). But then the movie starts and Johnny Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow approaches Port Royal's harbor standing gloriously atop his ship's mainmast - gloriously, that is, until we realize his ship is slowly but surely sinking... And with that, one of the most enjoyable adventures of the decade is off and running. Depp's work here is incredibly unique and hilariously engaging; there has never been another character in film quite like Jack Sparrow. Geoffrey Rush, as well, does amusing work as the sneering villain Captain Barbarossa.

While the Pirates series has two sequels (and a 3rd sequel, On Stranger Tides, coming out in 2011), none of the follow-ups (despite more great work from Depp and amusing action scenes) have the same sort of manic energy and excitement captured in the first installment.

59. Forgetting Sarah Marshall (Nicholas Stoller, 2008)

Forgetting Sarah Marshall is the best, of many, Apatow factory movies this past decade. Like most of the other Apatow movies, the film has the same successful combination of gross-out gags and romantic comedy. Forgetting Sarah Marshall is the best on the strength of the actual story and the winning performances of all the actors. The story is about a guy (Jason Segal) who gets dumped by his celebrity girlfriend (Kristen Bell) and tries to get away to Hawaii to recover only to find that his girlfriend is there too...with her new rock star boyfriend (Russell Brand). I could go on and on about the great performance from Segal, the charming work of Mila Kunis (as a resort worker that takes pity on Segal's plight) or the memorable small roles peppered throughout the movie (from Paul Rudd, Bill Hader and 30 Rock's Jack McBrayer among others), but instead I want to talk Aldous Snow. Russell Brand, who I gather is considered something of a degenerate in his native England, is unbelievably funny in the role - Brand steals every single scene he is in. He delivers his lines with such easy going and mellow verve that even the most absurd or degenerate statement comes off hilariously. His interactions with Jason Segal's character, in particular, are comic gold. So funny is his work, that Sarah Marshall director Nick Stoller is releasing a spin-off about his character this summer titled Get Him to the Greek.

58. Hot Fuzz (Edgar Wright, 2007)

Hot Fuzz is the perfect loving spoof on mindless action movies. Inspired by hundreds of hours of brain dead action, director Edgar Wright and star Simon Pegg's script plays hilariously off of genre conventions and contrivances - without ever falling into the sort of mockery seen in the Austin Powers movies. Hot Fuzz tells the story of a highly decorated cop (Simon Pegg) that's so good at his job that he embarrasses his co-workers and is banished to a countryside town with absolutely no crime. There he gets a new partner (Nick Frost) and compelling cases such as underage drinking and recapturing a runaway swan. That is until the two cops begin to uncover the town's dark secret... Pegg and Frost are both absolutely hilarious and fit their roles magnificently. Edgar Wright has a master's touch at emphasizing the delivery of a joke and crafts some memorably funny action sequences. Hot Fuzz is perfect for fans of action movies and British-style comedy.

Fun fact: This is the second in Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg's Blood and Ice Cream Trilogy (Shaun of the Dead is the 1st, the as-yet-unfilmed The World's End is the 3rd). The name comes from the use Cornetto brand ice cream in each movie.

57. Moon (Duncan Jones, 2009)

This is the first film from British director Duncan Jones, son of David Bowie, and with it he roars onto the scene as a talent to watch in the next decade. Here Jones crafts (as both writer and director) the story of a lone astronaut working on a Moon mining base nearing the end of his three year employment term. Jones has a gift for structuring an image and an incredible confidence in the pace of his movie. Unlike so many neophyte directors, Jones has the intelligence to allow his film to progress organically. There are no frustrating jump cuts here, rather Jones uses longer, well-constructed shots to tell his story. Those long uninterrupted takes help further the ambiance and seclusion of the lone astronaut. Sam Rockwell, playing that astronaut, gives one of the best performances of his career and one of the best of 2009. I hesitate to say much more about the film for fear of spoiling any of its surprises, but in just one film Jones has established himself as one hell of a director. In a banner year for science fiction (2009 also saw Star Trek, District 9 and Avatar), Moon sadly fell somewhat under the radar - I can only hope that the film finds a well-deserved audience on DVD and Blu-Ray.

56. Collateral (Michael Mann, 2004)

Collateral is a stellar character study of a taxi driver and the hitman who forces him to drive around Los Angeles to pursue various targets. Interestingly, director Michael Mann chooses to open the movie with a long scene between Jamie Foxx and a fare in his cab, a prosecutor played by Jada Pinkett Smith. The scene is extremely atypical for an action movie - it plays out almost like its own short film - but it does a remarkable job of introducing us to the film's main character. Foxx is stellar as that cabbie, but the most memorable performance in the film belongs to Tom Cruise. Essentially, the film is structured as a long dialogue between a contract killer and a man he holds hostage driven forward by the five targets Cruise's character is pursuing. Regardless of any nonsense unrelated to his acting, Cruise has a lot of under-appreciated talent. Here his work is intense, compelling and forceful. He crafts a killer with far more subtlety and intellect than most would bring to the role. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the film's action scenes: director Michael Mann films each scene with a speed and brutality infrequent in action movies. I still remember being startled by the stark volume of the gunshots in the film the first time I saw it, and the volume works well to punctuate the visceral impact of the film's violence.

Runner-Up: Blood Diamond (Zwick, 2006)
Runner-Up: Open Water (Kentis, 2004)
Runner-Up: Cinderella Man (Howard, 2005)
Runner-Up: Tigerland (Schumacher, 2000)
Runner-Up: Best in Show (Guest, 2000)
Runner-Up: Letters from Iwo Jima (Eastwood, 2006)
Runner-Up: Saw (Wan, 2004)
101: Big Fish (Burton, 2003)
100: State of Play (Macdonald, 2009)
99: Marley & Me (Frankel, 2008)
98: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Fincher, 2008)
97: Sunshine (Boyle, 2007)
96: 8 Mile (Hanson, 2002)
95: 21 Grams (Iñárritu, 2003)
94: The Hurt Locker (Bigelow, 2009)
93: Y tu mamá también (Cuaron, 2001)
92: Breach (Ray, 2007)
91: Away from Her (Polley, 2007)
90: Stranger Than Fiction (Forster, 2006)
89: Old School (Phillips, 2003)
88: The Queen (Frears, 2006)
87: Garden State (Braff, 2004)
86: Miracle (O'Connor, 2004)
85: Banlieue 13 (Morel, 2004)
84: The Fall (Singh, 2008)
83: Spider-Man/Spider-Man 2.1 (Raimi, 2002/2004)
82: The Last King of Scotland (Macdonald, 2006)
81: Pineapple Express (Green, 2008)
80: Into the Wild (Penn, 2007)
79: Juno (Reitman, 2007)
78: Cast Away (Zemeckis, 2000)
77: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Burton, 2007)
76: The 40 Year Old Virgin (Apatow, 2005)
75: Michael Clayton (Gilroy, 2007)
74: Friday Night Lights (Berg, 2004)
73: The Descent (Marshall, 2006)
72: In the Loop (Iannucci, 2009)
71: In the Shadow of the Moon (Sington, 2007)
70: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (Black, 2005)
69: No Country for Old Men (Coen/Coen, 2007)
68: Superbad (Mottola, 2007)
67: Insomnia (Nolan, 2002)
66: The Road (Hillcoat, 2009)
65: Defiance (Zwick, 2008)
64: Up in the Air (Reitman, 2009)
63: Eastern Promises (Cronenberg, 2007)
62: Finding Nemo (Stanton, 2003)
61: Låt den rätte komma in (Alfredson, 2008)
60: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (Verbinski, 2003)
59: Forgetting Sarah Marshall (Stoller, 2008)
58: Hot Fuzz (Wright, 2007)
57: Moon (Jones, 20009)
56: Collateral (Mann, 2004)

Runners-Up
101-96
95-91
90-86
85-81
80-76
75-71
70-66
65-61

Top 101 Movies of the Decade (65-61)

2010-02-18T12:23:00.004-05:00

65. Defiance (Edward Zwick, 2008)

Defiance is the beautifully constructed true story of the Bielski brothers who, in escaping the Holocaust, ended up forming a small society in the Belarussian forests. Director Ed Zwick, a master of constructing beautiful imagery to surround his stories, crafts compelling tension by structuring the film around the competing ideologies of two of the Bielski brothers, Zus (Liev Schreiber) and Tuvia (Daniel Craig). Zus believes the brothers should take the fight to the Germans which contrasts with Tuvia's faith that establishing society and protecting as many as possible is the proper plan. Schreiber is quite good here, but special notice must go to Craig. [SPOILER] In one moment early in the film, Craig finds the home of the men responsible for the betrayal death of his father. Craig kills each of them, but leaves behind a woman. She begs for death so that she may be with her family - and Craig refuses with just a look. It is a cold and brutal moment, but incredibly effective. [END SPOILER] Jamie Bell, playing another Bielski brother, is also effective. This is one of the most compelling Holocaust stories I've ever seen and I strongly recommend it.

64. Up in the Air (Jason Reitman, 2009)

Up in the Air is about a termination facilitator, that is someone brought in by corporations to fire employees so the corporation doesn't have to, who is faced with two major changes to his life. That facilitator, played with great success by George Clooney, is faced with the evolution of his job and with the chance to make a human connection. The facilitator is very good at his job and derives a satisfaction from providing a necessary service - only the company he works for is planning to integrate technology and begin firing people via webcast instead of in person. The facilitator is tasked with taking hotshot innovator, the wonderfully neurotic Anna Kendrick, on the road with him to show her how the actual firings work. The interactions between the two are memorable and poignant. The facilitator also prides himself on a lack of personal connections but finds a kindred spirit on the road, played by Vera Farmiga. Farmiga, from the nearly melodic way she moves to her compelling facial acting, is wonderfully seductive in the role. The termination facilitator's ordeal is an interesting structure to examine both the human need for connection and the ordeals of making a major transition in life. Jason Reitman has become one of the most interesting voices in Hollywood at only 32 and I look forward to his work in the future.

63. Eastern Promises (David Cronenberg, 2007)

Eastern Promises paints a fascinating picture of the Russian mob in London. The viewer is drawn into this world through the eyes of a midwife (played by the always great Naomi Watts) attempting to find the family of a child who was left behind after the mother died in childbirth. And what a fascinating world director David Cronenberg creates. Principally we meet three core characters from the underworld of London: Semyon, the Russian godfather played by Armin Mueller-Stahl, Kiril, his unctuous son played by Vincent Cassel, and Nikolai, Semyon's bodyguard played by Viggo Mortensen. This role is very much against type for Mortensen, but he nails it with a fearless performance. The film, much like the world its set in, has a streak of brutality to it. The film has also become known for one enduring scene: a brutal and realistic fight in a bathhouse. Most fight scenes in movies, even if they're very gory, have a certain sense of restraint to them - not here. In this particular fight, Mortensen fends off multiple assailants while in the nude. The camera never turns away from the action to preserve Mortensen's modesty nor to prevent the viewer from seeing the brutal conclusion - all of this makes it one of the most harrowing and honest fights ever put to film.

62. Finding Nemo (Andrew Stanton, 2003)

For my money, Pixar is the finest studio working today. There is a consistent quality in everything they produce that is completely unmatched elsewhere. Even their weakest work, Cars, would be a headline accomplishment for every other animation studio. Pixar movies have a tradition of telling a story that, on the face, is a simple kid's movie, but deep down has humor and emotional depth that make the films effective for all audiences. Finding Nemo is no exception: it is filled with memorable and appealing characters that occupy a fascinatingly well realized undersea world. All the voice actors are perfectly cast, perhaps none more so than Ellen DeGeneres who is lovably neurotic as Dory. Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming, swimming, swimming...

61. Låt den rätte komma in (Tomas Alfredson, 2008)

Known as Let the Right One In stateside, the film is a Swedish take on the vampire story. The film deals specifically with a 12 year old boy who befriends a 12 year old girl and that girl happens to be a vampire. Both are lonely and desperate for companionship and connection. While the main characters are children (great performances from both), the film is quite dark and contemplative. Tomas Alfredson has a wonderful eye for capturing stark imagery and that skill is put to wonderful use here. I'm loathe to say much about the plot of the movie, but this, not Twilight, is what a vampire story is meant to be.

NB: If you try to rent or buy the movie, check the back of the box and look at the subtitle section. There are two versions: one will say English and the other will say English (Theatrical). Trust me when I tell you that you want to find the theatrical version. In the initial home release, the non-theatrical version, a different translation was used for the subtitles and it loses all the subtlety and nuance of the film's complex dialogue.

Runner-Up: Blood Diamond (Zwick, 2006)
Runner-Up: Open Water (Kentis, 2004)
Runner-Up: Cinderella Man (Howard, 2005)
Runner-Up: Tigerland (Schumacher, 2000)
Runner-Up: Best in Show (Guest, 2000)
Runner-Up: Letters from Iwo Jima (Eastwood, 2006)
Runner-Up: Saw (Wan, 2004)
101: Big Fish (Burton, 2003)
100: State of Play (Macdonald, 2009)
99: Marley & Me (Frankel, 2008)
98: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Fincher, 2008)
97: Sunshine (Boyle, 2007)
96: 8 Mile (Hanson, 2002)
95: 21 Grams (Iñárritu, 2003)
94: The Hurt Locker (Bigelow, 2009)
93: Y tu mamá también (Cuaron, 2001)
92: Breach (Ray, 2007)
91: Away from Her (Polley, 2007)
90: Stranger Than Fiction (Forster, 2006)
89: Old School (Phillips, 2003)
88: The Queen (Frears, 2006)
87: Garden State (Braff, 2004)
86: Miracle (O'Connor, 2004)
85: Banlieue 13 (Morel, 2004)
84: The Fall (Singh, 2008)
83: Spider-Man/Spider-Man 2.1 (Raimi, 2002/2004)
82: The Last King of Scotland (Macdonald, 2006)
81: Pineapple Express (Green, 2008)
80: Into the Wild (Penn, 2007)
79: Juno (Reitman, 2007)
78: Cast Away (Zemeckis, 2000)
77: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Burton, 2007)
76: The 40 Year Old Virgin (Apatow, 2005)
75: Michael Clayton (Gilroy, 2007)
74: Friday Night Lights (Berg, 2004)
73: The Descent (Marshall, 2006)
72: In the Loop (Iannucci, 2009)
71: In the Shadow of the Moon (Sington, 2007)
70: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (Black, 2005)
69: No Country for Old Men (Coen/Coen, 2007)
68: Superbad (Mottola, 2007)
67: Insomnia (Nolan, 2002)
66: The Road (Hillcoat, 2009)
65: Defiance (Zwick, 2008)
64: Up in the Air (Reitman, 2009)
63: Eastern Promises (Cronenberg, 2007)
62: Finding Nemo (Stanton, 2003)
61: Låt den rätte komma in (Alfredson, 2008)

Runners-Up
101-96
95-91
90-86
85-81
80-76
75-71
70-66

Top 101 Movies of the Decade (70-66)

2010-02-17T11:00:00.010-05:00

70. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (Shane Black, 2005)

A small time criminal (Robert Downey, Jr.) stumbles into a movie audition after a botched robbery, ends up winning the job and is sent to Hollywood to train with a private investigator (Val Kilmer) for his role. From there, the odd pair stumbles into a conspiracy involving the murder of an heiress. A childhood friend of Downey's character (played with humor and sex appeal by Michelle Monaghan) also contacts the duo to investigate the death of her sister. Together, the three investigate the crimes. Director Shane Black, working from one hell of a witty script, does a great job lovingly playing on film noir conventions. The film's title actually arises from an old reference to James Bond movies: it's the simplest explanation for what you see in a spy movie. The film, a core part of Robert Downey's comeback from substance abuse issues, features stellar performances from all three leads.

69. No Country for Old Men (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2007)

In a change from the brand of dark comedy they're known for, No Country for Old Men is a far more serious film from the Coen brothers. Dealing with the consequences of stumbling upon the money from a drug deal gone awry, No Country is bleak and brutal. It is gorgeously lensed by cinematographer Roger Deakins, who uses the visuals of the Mexican border to spectacular effect. While all the actors are strong here, the most enduring performance from the film is Javier Bardem's as Anton Chigurh. Chigurh is a hitman hired to recover the drug money and cuts a brutal path through the countryside with his silenced shotgun and captive bolt pistol (basically a SCUBA tank attached to an air gun that is used in the killing of cattle). His performance is also marked by a degree of icy restraint and detachment that prevent the work from ever falling into the scenery chewing or histrionic. Chigurh is, along with Heath Ledger's Joker, the most interesting villain in film of the decade.

68. Superbad (Greg Mottola, 2007)

Despite overflowing with dirty jokes and gross out humor, Superbad actually has a really genuine message about the importance of friendship. The core that makes the movie work is the bond between Seth and Evan (Jonah Hill and Michael Cera), bickering, attached-at-the-hip, best friends about to head off to different colleges. Along with nerdy cohort McLovin (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), the trio spend a day trying to get alcohol to impress their pretty classmates. The movie lags a bit in the middle, but, all told, it is the funniest and most enjoyable high school coming of age movie this past decade.

67. Insomnia (Christopher Nolan, 2002)

Thinking back on Insomnia, I sometimes wonder if it is the last great performance Al Pacino will ever get in a film (for most of the rest of the decade, he only appeared in dreg like 88 Minutes, Righteous Kill and Gigli). Christopher Nolan's second movie, Insomnia is about two LA detectives (one played by Pacino) tasked with traveling to Alaska, to a town where the summer's are filled with perpetual daylight, to assist the local police (including Hilary Swank) investigate the murder of a 17 year old girl. Robin Williams plays a crime novelist suspected of being involved in the girl's death. This, along with One Hour Photo, is one of two truly unsettling performances given by Robin Williams in 2002. With his usual manic energy under lock and key, Williams is deeply unsettling, yet magnetic, in Nolan's film. Christopher Nolan has a real knack for atmosphere in his movies and Insomnia is no exception. He uses the perpetual daylight of the Alaskan fishing town of Nightmute to stellar visual and emotive effect.

66. The Road (John Hillcoat, 2009)

The story of The Road is very simple: a man and his son travel across a desolated wasteland trying to get to the coast. The majority of the rest of the population has devolved into cannibalism and savagery. John Hillcoat, who also directed the stellar Australian western The Proposition, nails the ambiance of Cormac McCarthy's source novel and crafts a frightening, but strangely beautiful, world. Viggo Mortensen has never been better - the man's dogged determination to defend his son is heart-wrenching. The supporting players, among them Kodi-Smit McPhee, Charlize Theron and Robert Duvall, are uniformly strong. Sadly, The Road was largely overlooked in its release this past year, but I'm confident time will be kind to the movie and its estimation will grow.

Runner-Up: Blood Diamond (Zwick, 2006)
Runner-Up: Open Water (Kentis, 2004)
Runner-Up: Cinderella Man (Howard, 2005)
Runner-Up: Tigerland (Schumacher, 2000)
Runner-Up: Best in Show (Guest, 2000)
Runner-Up: Letters from Iwo Jima (Eastwood, 2006)
Runner-Up: Saw (Wan, 2004)
101: Big Fish (Burton, 2003)
100: State of Play (Macdonald, 2009)
99: Marley & Me (Frankel, 2008)
98: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Fincher, 2008)
97: Sunshine (Boyle, 2007)
96: 8 Mile (Hanson, 2002)
95: 21 Grams (Iñárritu, 2003)
94: The Hurt Locker (Bigelow, 2009)
93: Y tu mamá también (Cuaron, 2001)
92: Breach (Ray, 2007)
91: Away from Her (Polley, 2007)
90: Stranger Than Fiction (Forster, 2006)
89: Old School (Phillips, 2003)
88: The Queen (Frears, 2006)
87: Garden State (Braff, 2004)
86: Miracle (O'Connor, 2004)
85: Banlieue 13 (Morel, 2004)
84: The Fall (Singh, 2008)
83: Spider-Man/Spider-Man 2.1 (Raimi, 2002/2004)
82: The Last King of Scotland (Macdonald, 2006)
81: Pineapple Express (Green, 2008)
80: Into the Wild (Penn, 2007)
79: Juno (Reitman, 2007)
78: Cast Away (Zemeckis, 2000)
77: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Burton, 2007)
76: The 40 Year Old Virgin (Apatow, 2005)
75: Michael Clayton (Gilroy, 2007)
74: Friday Night Lights (Berg, 2004)
73: The Descent (Marshall, 2006)
72: In the Loop (Iannucci, 2009)
71: In the Shadow of the Moon (Sington, 2007)
70: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (Black, 2005)
69: No Country for Old Men (Coen/Coen, 2007)
68: Superbad (Mottola, 2007)
67: Insomnia (Nolan, 2002)
66: The Road (Hillcoat, 2009)

Runners-Up
101-96
95-91
90-86
85-81
80-76
75-71

Top 101 Movies of the Decade (75-71)

2010-02-16T00:15:00.014-05:00

75. Michael Clayton (Tony Gilroy, 2007)

Michael Clayton is the directorial debut of Tony Gilroy. Gilroy, who had previously written the Bourne movies, is more than up to the task of telling the story of a corporate law 'fixer' tasked with covering up what starts as the meltdown of a law firm partner but develops into a broader legal conspiracy. George Clooney does well subverting his star persona, playing a downtrodden, debt riddled and alcoholic attorney. Tilda Swinton does particularly wonderful work as a high powered, but desperate, in-house counsel for an agricultural company involved in the conspiracy mentioned earlier. Her character, the evil lawyer - often played in other movies with such overt malevolence that you half expect them to twirl their mustache after ordering an employee around - is, here, a nervous and doubting villain, seen mumbling a speech to herself repeatedly in a mirror until perfected. Her performance in particular brings credibility and weight to the entire story.

I enjoyed Gilroy's other film this decade, 2009's Duplicity, and I look forward to seeing what he constructs in the coming years.

74. Friday Night Lights (Peter Berg, 2004)

In some ways I think the growth in use of handheld 'shaky' cameras during the past decade was one of its worst innovations, but Peter Berg's Friday Night Lights is one of the handful of examples of where it really works. Berg's goal is not to tell the typical melodramatic sports story: it is to get inside the world of high school football in the South. The use of the handheld cameras helps give each scene an immediacy and presence that might be lost with more detached camera work. The movie itself is incredibly compelling (so compelling that it helped spawn a TV series that will conclude after its fifth season next year). The actors are all well cast and give believable performances. Much praise was given to Billy Bob Thornton when the film was released, but I think that praise would have been better given to the four young actors who really make the material work: Lucas Black, Garrett Hedlund, Derek Luke and Jay Hernandez. Lucas Black has a wonderful intensity as the team's quarterback. Hedlund is involved in one of the film's most powerful and affecting scenes: the night after his character had fumbled in a game, his father (a startlingly effective Tim McGraw) drunkenly tapes his son's arms to a football and taunts him while attempting to smash the ball out of his arms. The scene is chilling and all too believable. The film is particularly successful in the way it concludes, not necessarily the final 'big game' moment but in the time afterward, in the melancholy moments the players realize they must face life without high school football, without the Friday night lights.

I should also take a moment here to recognize Friday Night Lights, the TV show, as one of the best creative ventures of the decade. Despite a rocky second season (a result of studio tampering to try to up the ratings), the show has been one of the real joys on television since it began.

73. The Descent (Neil Marshall, 2006)

The Descent is, without a doubt, the scariest movie of the decade. It tells the story of an all female group of spelunkers who encounter cave dwelling creatures when they decide to venture off the beaten path. The actors do good work with the material and bring a feverish and panicked energy to each scene. Director Neil Marshall does a great job with the camera to utilize the natural darkness and angles of a system of caverns to create palpable claustrophobia in the audience. He also, wisely, chose not to use any CGI and, rather, cast ballet dancers to play the film's creatures. The dancers imbue the cave dwellers with a deeply unsettling, and inhuman, way of movement that makes them all the more terrifying.

72. In the Loop (Armando Iannucci, 2009)

In the Loop is an acerbic British political satire about the lead up to a potential Middle Eastern war (featuring The Sopranos' James Gandolfini). Armando Iannucci, directing his first feature film, has a master's sense of rhythm and comedic timing. A skill he needs in spades because every single scene in In the Loop is overflowing with humor, from subtle references to overt profane rants. Peter Capaldi, playing the Prime Minister's communication chief, gives, perhaps, the most savagely hilarious performance of the decade. Every minute Capaldi is on screen crackles with spectacular energy and constant laughs. The film has one of the wittiest and most scathing scripts I've ever seen. More than that, it has as good a laugh-per-minute rate as any movie the last decade.

71. In the Shadow of the Moon (David Sington, 2007)

In the Shadow of the Moon is a documentary about the manned missions sent to the moon in the late 60s and early 70s. The film uses the narration of nearly all the men to ever walk on the moon along with archival footage and previously unseen material from the NASA vaults to give a fresh and compelling look at the Space Race. The astronauts give candid, emotional and, sometimes, hilarious insights into the totality of the space race and into each of their individual roles and stories. If you have even the faintest interest in the Space Race or the Cold War, you owe it to yourself to see In the Shadow of the Moon.

Runner-Up: Blood Diamond (Zwick, 2006)
Runner-Up: Open Water (Kentis, 2004)
Runner-Up: Cinderella Man (Howard, 2005)
Runner-Up: Tigerland (Schumacher, 2000)
Runner-Up: Best in Show (Guest, 2000)
Runner-Up: Letters from Iwo Jima (Eastwood, 2006)
Runner-Up: Saw (Wan, 2004)
101: Big Fish (Burton, 2003)
100: State of Play (Macdonald, 2009)
99: Marley & Me (Frankel, 2008)
98: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Fincher, 2008)
97: Sunshine (Boyle, 2007)
96: 8 Mile (Hanson, 2002)
95: 21 Grams (Iñárritu, 2003)
94: The Hurt Locker (Bigelow, 2009)
93: Y tu mamá también (Cuaron, 2001)
92: Breach (Ray, 2007)
91: Away from Her (Polley, 2007)
90: Stranger Than Fiction (Forster, 2006)
89: Old School (Phillips, 2003)
88: The Queen (Frears, 2006)
87: Garden State (Braff, 2004)
86: Miracle (O'Connor, 2004)
85: Banlieue 13 (Morel, 2004)
84: The Fall (Singh, 2008)
83: Spider-Man/Spider-Man 2.1 (Raimi, 2002/2004)
82: The Last King of Scotland (Macdonald, 2006)
81: Pineapple Express (Green, 2008)
80: Into the Wild (Penn, 2007)
79: Juno (Reitman, 2007)
78: Cast Away (Zemeckis, 2000)
77: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Burton, 2007)
76: The 40 Year Old Virgin (Apatow, 2005)
75: Michael Clayton (Gilroy, 2007)
74: Friday Night Lights (Berg, 2004)
73: The Descent (Marshall, 2006)
72: In the Loop (Iannucci, 2009)
71: In the Shadow of the Moon (Sington, 2007)

Runners-Up
101-96
95-91
90-86
85-81
80-76

Top 101 Movies of the Decade (80-76)

2010-02-15T13:14:00.013-05:00

80. Into the Wild (Sean Penn, 2007)

Into the Wild is the true story of Christopher McCandless (Emile Hirsch) who, after graduating college, decided to give up his material wealth and travel across the country to the Alaskan wilderness. Sean Penn's film focuses on his journey getting there and the various individuals who help shape his life along the way. The film is gorgeously lensed and helped by wonderful supporting performances along the way, including Vince Vaughn, Catherine Keener and Kristin Stewart. Special notice must go to Hal Holbrook (who received a well deserved Academy Award nomination for just 7 or 8 minutes of screen time), Holbrook's ability to act with just his face is astounding - I don't think I've ever seen such sadness in a human being's face as in Holbrook's climactic scene. The film's musical score (by Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam) is also one of the best of the decade.

79. Juno (Jason Reitman, 2007)

Despite a bit too quirky script, Juno is a showcase for one of the best ensemble performances of the decade. Juno, Jason Reitman's second feature length movie, is the humorous story of a pregnant high school girl. J.K. Simmons and Allison Janney are great and touching as Juno's pragmatic and loving parents. Michael Cera gives his most genuine performance as the father of Juno's child. Best of all, though, are Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner: they play a yuppie couple Juno selects to give her child to after it's born. Both inhabit their roles with such life and genuine emotion that the movie soars when they take the screen. Garner, in particular, has a moment when she first feels the unborn child kick from within Juno's stomach that is one of the most genuine moments of the decade in film.

78. Cast Away (Robert Zemeckis, 2000)

Cast Away is about a man stranded on an island in the middle of an ocean after a plane crash. Tom Hanks clearly gives his all to the role, physically transforming from a slightly portly white collar worker to a trim haggard castaway. It takes a special sort of actor and performance to be the only human on screen for nearly two hours of a film's run time - Hanks' most frequent partner on screen is volleyball that washes up on the island from the crash he lovingly deems Wilson. Hanks is so effective in the role that the audience comes to value his emotional connection with a volleyball. Robert Zemeckis, directing his last live action movie before turning his attention to the soulless computer generated zombie-characters of The Polar Express, Beowulf and A Christmas Carol for the rest of the decade, effectively and compellingly structures Hanks' life on the island in a way that never ceases to be compelling.

77. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Tim Burton, 2007)

While Sweeney Todd takes a little while to pick up steam, once it does Johnny Depp carries the film on the shoulders of, arguably, his strongest career performance. Depp plays Sweeney Todd, a vengeful serial murdering barber, who disposes of the bodies by teaming up with his neighbor, a baker named Mrs. Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter), to sell the victims in pies. This is, of course, a musical and while Depp doesn't have the greatest singing voice ever recorded he has a startling ability to act facially while singing. Helena Bonham Carter, similarly, is far from a gorgeous singer but she too sells each song with aplomb. Alan Rickman and Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat) are great in support. The mad vision of Tim Burton brings the entire experience together as one of the most curious and compelling films of the decade.

76. The 40 Year Old Virgin (Judd Apatow, 2005)

It speaks to the success in the formula of this movie that nearly every actor, then more or less unknown, has gone on to become a recognizable name. Steve Carell, Seth Rogan, Paul Rudd, Jonah Hill, Jane Lynch, Kat Dennings, Leslie Mann and Romany Malco all broke through thanks to this film. The movie is well known for its raunchy humor. But beneath all the dick jokes is an effective romantic comedy, with a pair of lead actors that are easy to care about. Steve Carell is, basically, the perfect everyman actor: he's funny, likable and clearly never takes himself too seriously. This appeal helps makes the movie click and make the audience care. Director Judd Apatow found a special mix of romance and gross out humor that makes for one of the best romantic comedies of the decade.

Runner-Up: Blood Diamond (Zwick, 2006)
Runner-Up: Open Water (Kentis, 2004)
Runner-Up: Cinderella Man (Howard, 2005)
Runner-Up: Tigerland (Schumacher, 2000)
Runner-Up: Best in Show (Guest, 2000)
Runner-Up: Letters from Iwo Jima (Eastwood, 2006)
Runner-Up: Saw (Wan, 2004)
101: Big Fish (Burton, 2003)
100: State of Play (Macdonald, 2009)
99: Marley & Me (Frankel, 2008)
98: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Fincher, 2008)
97: Sunshine (Boyle, 2007)
96: 8 Mile (Hanson, 2002)
95: 21 Grams (Iñárritu, 2003)
94: The Hurt Locker (Bigelow, 2009)
93: Y tu mamá también (Cuaron, 2001)
92: Breach (Ray, 2007)
91: Away from Her (Polley, 2007)
90: Stranger Than Fiction (Forster, 2006)
89: Old School (Phillips, 2003)
88: The Queen (Frears, 2006)
87: Garden State (Braff, 2004)
86: Miracle (O'Connor, 2004)
85: Banlieue 13 (Morel, 2004)
84: The Fall (Singh, 2008)
83: Spider-Man/Spider-Man 2.1 (Raimi, 2002/2004)
82: The Last King of Scotland (Macdonald, 2006)
81: Pineapple Express (Green, 2008)
80: Into the Wild (Penn, 2007)
79: Juno (Reitman, 2007)
78: Cast Away (Zemeckis, 2000)
77: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Burton, 2007)
76: The 40 Year Old Virgin (Apatow, 2005)

Runners-Up
101-96
95-91
90-86
85-81

Top 101 Movies of the Decade (85-81)

2010-02-14T15:07:00.011-05:00

85. Banlieue 13 (Pierre Morel, 2004)

Released in the U.S. as District B13, Pierre Morel (director of Taken) crafts one of the most energetic and enjoyable martial arts movies I've ever seen. Banlieue 13 was most of the world's introduction to parkour, something of a real life Spider-Man hybrid of cross country and kung-fu, seen now in other movies like Casino Royale. The plot is a series of nonsensical excuses for parkour master David Belle and martial arts pro Cyril Raffaelli to do their thing, but Morel is smart enough not to tinker and to let the actors put on some of the most impressive displays of stunt work and athleticism ever put to film. Banlieue 13 stands with the best the martial arts genre has to offer.

84. The Fall (Tarsem Singh, 2008)

The Fall tells the story of a movie stuntman, Lee Pace of Pushing Daisies, who ends up in the hospital after a botched stunt. While hospitalized he befriends a young girl, Alexandria, and tells her a story about five heroes trying to take revenge on an evil villain. The story comes to life in the girl's mind and we see it through her imagination - and it is within Alexandria's imagination that Tarsem Singh's film comes to life. Filmed over the course of four years in at least 20 countries, Tarsem has found and filmed some of the most interesting and arresting images ever captured. Many of the images are so fascinating and beautiful that it's nearly impossible to believe they weren't aided by the use of CGI. Try to see it on the biggest screen with the highest picture quality possible - it's worth it.

83. Spider-Man/Spider-Man 2.1 (Sam Raimi, 2002/2004)

This spot is more for the superior Spider-Man 2 than for its predecessor. Spider-Man was a fine introduction to the character, with a collection of likable performances. It is in the sequel that the characters really come to life, especially in the extended DVD director's cut (titled 2.1). Tobey Maguire was perfectly cast as Peter Parker, a high school nerd who learns the hard way that with great power comes great responsibility after the death of his uncle. Parker's struggles with the responsibility of his superpowers come to life in the sequel. Aided by the addition of Alfred Molina as the villainous Dr. Octopus, and an increased role for James Franco, Spider-Man 2 is the endearing image of the series. Blessed with exciting action sequences, particularly the aftermath of a battle between Spider-Man and Doc Ock on a moving train, a genuine emotional core and witty dialogue, Spider-Man 2 is a stellar action film.

It is best for all involved to forget that Spider-Man 3 ever happened. Considering Sony is rebooting the series from scratch (with perfectly named director Marc Webb of (500) Days of Summer fame attached to craft the project), the studio must agree.

82. The Last King of Scotland (Kevin Macdonald, 2006)

The Last King of Scotland is screenwriter Peter Morgan's third appearance on this list and director Macdonald's second. The film tells the fictional, but believable, story of a young doctor (James McAvoy) who ends up absorbed into the court of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin (Forest Whitaker). After the doctor treats Amin for a hand injury, the two form an initial friendship based on Amin's respect for the doctor's Scottish origins (and the Scottish resistance to British rule). McAvoy's character is impressed with Amin's charisma and grows to respect the man. Gradually the veil is pulled back, however, and the tension that builds between the two makes for compelling drama. Whitaker deserves all the accolades he has earned for his terrifying turn as Amin, but the film's emotional core is through the conflicted performance of James McAvoy.

81. Pineapple Express (David Gordon Green, 2008)

Set over the course 2 crazy days, Pineapple Express is the story of a process server (Seth Rogan) who goes on the run with his ever-stoned drug dealer (James Franco) after witnessing a murder. David Gordon Green deftly mixes broad laughs, stoner humor and absurdly violent action scenes to great effect. James Franco's work here is really noteworthy; it's one of the most lovably imbecilic performances I've ever seen. Every line reading is so well timed and delivered that it makes it impossible to leave the movie not liking James Franco just a little bit more than before you saw it...

Runner-Up: Blood Diamond (Zwick, 2006)
Runner-Up: Open Water (Kentis, 2004)
Runner-Up: Cinderella Man (Howard, 2005)
Runner-Up: Tigerland (Schumacher, 2000)
Runner-Up: Best in Show (Guest, 2000)
Runner-Up: Letters from Iwo Jima (Eastwood, 2006)
Runner-Up: Saw (Wan, 2004)
101: Big Fish (Burton, 2003)
100: State of Play (Macdonald, 2009)
99: Marley & Me (Frankel, 2008)
98: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Fincher, 2008)
97: Sunshine (Boyle, 2007)
96: 8 Mile (Hanson, 2002)
95: 21 Grams (Iñárritu, 2003)
94: The Hurt Locker (Bigelow, 2009)
93: Y tu mamá también (Cuaron, 2001)
92: Breach (Ray, 2007)
91: Away from Her (Polley, 2007)
90: Stranger Than Fiction (Forster, 2006)
89: Old School (Phillips, 2003)
88: The Queen (Frears, 2006)
87: Garden State (Braff, 2004)
86: Miracle (O'Connor, 2004)
85: Banlieue 13 (Morel, 2004)
84: The Fall (Singh, 2008)
83: Spider-Man/Spider-Man 2.1 (Raimi, 2002/2004)
82: The Last King of Scotland (Macdonald, 2006)
81: Pineapple Express (Green, 2008)

Runners-Up
101-96
95-91
90-86

Top 101 Movies of the Decade (90-86)

2010-02-14T00:05:00.018-05:00

90. Stranger Than Fiction (Marc Forster, 2006)

Stranger Than Fiction tells the story of an IRS auditor who, out of the blue, begins hearing a voice narrate his life. At the advice of a psychiatrist and a literary expert, he sets out to determine if his story as narrated will be a classical tragedy or comedy - all while falling in love with the woman he is auditing. Stranger Than Fiction of the quirkier love stories of the last decade and, easily, the finest performance of Will Ferrell's career. His great eccentricities seemingly corralled by director Marc Forster, Will Ferrell gives a focused and affecting performance. He is aided by a wonderfully creative and hilarious script by Zach Helm, suitably quirky direction from Forster and wonderful supporting turns from Maggie Gyllenhaal, Queen Latifah, Emma Thompson and Dustin Hoffman. Gyllenhaal, in particular, has wonderful chemistry with Ferrell that makes their love story touching and believable.

89. Old School (Todd Phillips, 2003)

On the other end of the Will Ferrell spectrum is Old School, the funniest 'dumb comedy' of the decade. Old School tells the tale of a trio of middle aged men (Ferrell, Vince Vaughn and Luke Wilson) who open a fraternity at their local university. This film served as Ferrell's mainstream breakout role as his turn as the modern day Blutarsky, Frank the Tank, made him a household name. His success was well-earned as Ferrell delivers every line with such delinquent glee that it's difficult not to grab wrapped up in his performance. Todd Phillips, who also found success this past decade with The Hangover, is a great director for this sort of material - he paces each scene in a way that keeps the humor constant but leaves enough time to appreciate each joke.

88. The Queen (Stephen Frears, 2006)

Deservedly, many of the accolades for The Queen have been focused on Helen Mirren's performance as Elizabeth II. She is, of course, every bit as wonderful as advertised. But I argue there are two overlooked elements of The Queen that make the film so successful. The first is the stellar screenplay by Peter Morgan (who also worked on The Last King of Scotland, State of Play and will work on the upcoming 23rd James Bond film). Morgan's words bring Elizabeth II to life in a way that is flawed, but understandably so. Temporally, the film revolves around the death of Princess Diana and Morgan captures the conflict the royal family went through in dealing with the death of someone who had become an outsider, but was so beloved by the general public. The other critical element is the supporting performance of Michael Sheen. Michael Sheen has become one of the finest actors working today giving great performances that defy genre or cast-typing, from the Underworld series to Frost/Nixon, Sheen is almost always the most compelling element of any movie he is in. The focus of The Queen is, in large part, on the relationship between Mirren's Elizabeth and Sheen's Prime Minister Tony Blair throughout the Diana saga. While wonderfully mimicking Tony Blair, Sheen manages to put his own touch on the character and is the necessary foil to make Mirren's performance so successful. The scenes between the two have a spectacularly compelling energy to them that forms the heart of the movie.

87. Garden State (Zach Braff, 2004)

Zach Braff, of Scrubs fame, makes a startlingly effective directorial debut showcasing a gift for capturing a fascinating image, particularly in the use of color, and for the use of music to help the emotional weight of a scene. Braff gives a wonderful performance in the lead role as a young man confused about his purpose in life after his mother's passing. Natalie Portman is lovably quirky as the woman who helps Braff move forward and find himself. Peter Saarsgard is also strong as Braff's best friend. While the story does skew a bit into self-aggrandizing nonsense, Braff's strong sense of aesthetic and pace keep the film at a high level.

86. Miracle (Gavin O'Connor, 2004)

One of the finest 'cliche sports movies' ever made. Gavin O'Connor has a firm grasp on how to create the 'chill' moments that make these sort of movies so enjoyable. A number of scenes stand out: the team doing skating drills after a game until the lights are literally turned off on them, the coach flipping a table to motivate the team, the players bonding with a snow football game as Jimmy Carter's Crisis of Confidence speech plays in the background. At the core of the movie is the superb performance by Kurt Russell as coach Herb Brooks, one of the finest roles of his career. Oft overlooked is the fine work by Patricia Clarkson as Brooks' wife. She provides an emotional grounding that helps layer the Brooks character and provides a wonderful partner for Russell's performance. O'Connor also manages to create a team of distinct characters, something not easily achieved with 21 characters dressed identically in most scenes. Above all else, though, O'Connor captures the spirit and feel of the United States at the start of the 1980s: O'Connor structures the film in a way that builds and showcases a genuine American need for hope and how the 1980 hockey team met that need.

Runner-Up: Blood Diamond (Zwick, 2006)
Runner-Up: Open Water (Kentis, 2004)
Runner-Up: Cinderella Man (Howard, 2005)
Runner-Up: Tigerland (Schumacher, 2000)
Runner-Up: Best in Show (Guest, 2000)
Runner-Up: Letters from Iwo Jima (Eastwood, 2006)
Runner-Up: Saw (Wan, 2004)
101: Big Fish (Burton, 2003)
100: State of Play (Macdonald, 2009)
99: Marley & Me (Frankel, 2008)
98: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Fincher, 2008)
97: Sunshine (Boyle, 2007)
96: 8 Mile (Hanson, 2002)
95: 21 Grams (Iñárritu, 2003)
94: The Hurt Locker (Bigelow, 2009)
93: Y tu mamá también (Cuaron, 2001)
92: Breach (Ray, 2007)
91: Away from Her (Polley, 2007)
90: Stranger Than Fiction (Forster, 2006)
89: Old School (Phillips, 2003)
88: The Queen (Frears, 2006)
87: Garden State (Braff, 2004)
86: Miracle (O'Connor, 2004)

Runners-Up
101-96
95-91

Top 101 Movies of the Decade (95-91)

2010-02-13T10:51:00.020-05:00

95. 21 Grams (Alejandro González Iñárritu, 2003)

21 Grams overcomes its overly convoluted structure (the film is told out of order in intersecting style - think Crash + Memento) thanks to the power of its performances. Telling the story of three lives brought together by a tragic accident. All three of the lead actors, Naomi Watts, Sean Penn and Benicio Del Toro, give some of the finest work of their careers. Watts, in particular, gives a fascinating and deep performance as a woman grieving for her recently lost family and struggling with the desire to succumb to her prior problems with drugs.

94. The Hurt Locker (Katheryn Bigelow, 2009)

The Hurt Locker tells the story of a squad of American soldiers in Iraq tasked with disarming bombs. Jeremy Renner gives one of the best performances of 2009 as a soldier addicted to the danger of the war. The screenplay comes from reporter Mark Boal who actually followed a crew of bomb disarming soldiers around Iraq to gain inspiration for this story. Boal's dialogue has a believable and immediate quality that always suits the moment. Aided by the great supporting turns of Anthony Mackie and Brian Geraghty, director Katheryn Bigelow creates a believable and compelling squad of soldiers. Bigelow also wisely cast respected actors (among them Guy Pearce, Evageline Lilly, Ralph Fiennes and David Moore) in small roles throughout the movie, lending a gravity and excitement to their brief scenes. Of special note is the film's opening bomb disarming attempt - it's one of the most intense and well constructed scenes of the decade.

93. Y tu mamá también (Alfonso Cuaron, 2001)

At its simplest level, Y tu mamá también tells the story of two friends, one upper class and one lower-middle class, who go on a road trip with an older woman. Complimentary to their journey is the general divide in Mexican society: the scenic beaches the trio journey toward are juxtaposed with military roadblocks and dilapidated shantytowns. The film also acts as a study of friendship and sexuality. The ending is the perfect closing moment for this story. Deservedly, this role helped springboard Gael Garcia Bernal into one of the most interesting actors in Mexican cinema. This film was my own introduction to the work of Alfonso Cuaron who is, in my opinion, one of the most interesting directors today - you can expect to see his name again on this list.

92. Breach (Billy Ray, 2007)

Breach is one of only two films on Billy Ray's resume as a director (the other, Shattered Glass, was a near-miss for this list); but he is also an accomplished screenwriter, as a writer his credits include #98 on this list: State of Play. Breach, written and directed by Ray, tells the true story of a young FBI employee (Ryan Phillippe) assigned to spy on his boss (Chris Cooper) who is suspected of being a sexual deviant. Finding no evidence of such deviance, Phillippe's Eric O'Neill begins to form a respect for the regimented lifestyle of his boss. Ray subtly and effectively ratchets up the tension as O'Neill learns his real purpose is to catch his boss in an act of espionage against the United States. Special note must go to the absolutely fascinating performance of Chris Cooper as Robert Hanssen. Cooper's resume is filled with stellar performances, but for my money this might just be the best: his Hanssen is a fascinating contradicted mix of fanaticism and self-interest. His performance, especially in the film's tenser moments, is a thing to behold. I'm very excited that Fox has hired Ray to write and direct the upcoming 24 film adaptation.

91. Away from Her (Sarah Polley, 2007)

Led by one of the finest performances of the decade, Away from Her is one of the most touching movies I've ever seen. Away from Her tells the story of how a married couple deals with Alzheimer's. Julie Christie gives an astoundingly touching and nuanced performance in the lead and shows the devastation of Alzheimer's in a way that never devolves into the maudlin sap a lesser director might produce. Gordon Pinsent, playing Christie's husband, also gives a wonderful performance. The director here is Sarah Polley who was just 28 years old when the movie was made. Polley seems to have a preternatural understanding of the workings of a long married couple.

Runner-Up: Blood Diamond (Zwick, 2006)
Runner-Up: Open Water (Kentis, 2004)
Runner-Up: Cinderella Man (Howard, 2005)
Runner-Up: Tigerland (Schumacher, 2000)
Runner-Up: Best in Show (Guest, 2000)
Runner-Up: Letters from Iwo Jima (Eastwood, 2006)
Runner-Up: Saw (Wan, 2004)
101: Big Fish (Burton, 2003)
100: State of Play (Macdonald, 2009)
99: Marley & Me (Frankel, 2008)
98: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Fincher, 2008)
97: Sunshine (Boyle, 2007)
96: 8 Mile (Hanson, 2002)
95: 21 Grams (Iñárritu, 2003)
94: The Hurt Locker (Bigelow, 2009)
93: Y tu mamá también (Cuaron, 2001)
92: Breach (Ray, 2007)
91: Away from Her (Polley, 2007)

Runners-Up
101-96

Top 101 Movies of the Decade (101-96)

2010-02-12T22:22:00.042-05:00

101. Big Fish (Tim Burton, 2003)

Tim Burton captures the magic of a great novel while instilling it with his own unique style and visual zest. The image above is one of many insane, but beautiful, ideas that Burton captures - right on for a story about the power of story telling and imagination. Ewan McGregor is the perfect leading man for this sort of story as he works to derive fact from fiction in the stories he grew up hearing from his father. The ending, as well, strikes a perfect note.

100. State of Play (Kevin Mcdonald, 2009)

Almost entirely overlooked in its theatrical release thanks to a horrid marketing campaign, Kevin Mcdonald's follow-up to Last King of Scotland is an incredibly well acted and tense thriller. Ben Affleck is at his best as a smarmy senator with some baggage. Russell Crowe finds a motivation and purpose in his performance that stands with his best work in The Insider, L.A. Confidential and Gladiator. Helped by a witty script from Tony Gilroy (the Bourne movies, Michael Clayton), the movie also serves as a fitting reminder to the power of the print media in a time when newspapers are forced out of business at a frightening rate. Good supporting turns from Helen Mirren, Rachel McAdams, Jeff Bridges and Jason Bateman all help make for one of the best thrillers of the decade.

Fun fact: Originally Brad Pitt and Edward Norton were attached to play the Crowe and Affleck roles - I can't imagine the movie being nearly as effective with that combination.

99. Marley & Me (David Frankel, 2008)

This is a movie that, by all rights, should have been unbearable. But, thanks to a fun script, great acting and effective direction, the movie becomes a great symbol of why people love pets. The movie is not simply the 'crazy dog flick' the previews suggested, but rather is a study of a family growing through life and how a dog is a part of that. Career best performances from both Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston help make the film incredibly emotionally effective. Wilson and Aniston make for a believable and likable couple who deal with the struggles of life in ways that make sense. [Spoiler] One scene of particular note is following the miscarriage of the family's first attempt at a child. When the young couple returns home and Mrs. Grogan (Aniston) is understandably devastated, habitual hellion Marley provides the perfect support she needs. Sensing her sadness the dog simply rests his chin on her knee and sits with her, calmly, lovingly. It's the perfect encapsulation of why human beings love pets. [End spoiler]

98. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (David Fincher, 2008)

Benjamin Button tells the story of the life of a man born as a child in the body of an old man whose body ages backwards - more importantly it tells the story of the love of that man's life. Everything about the movie is gorgeously constructed. From the subtle and effective CGI to the evocative score by Alexandre Desplat, Benjamin Button is one of the most sumptuous experiences of the decade. But at its core is a touching love story that manages to overcome a potentially unsettling premise. Pitt and Blanchett are well paired as the time-crossed lovers and Fincher's direction creates the perfect tone.

97. Sunshine (Danny Boyle, 2007)

Director Danny Boyle reunites with his 28 Days Later... writer, Alex Garland, for this science fiction-horror movie. Tasked with preventing the Sun from expiring, a team of 8 astronauts is launched into space as a last hope. A strong multinational cast, including Michelle Yeoh, Cillian Murphy, Cliff Curtis, Rose Byrne and Mark Strong, is led by the stellar performance of Chris Evans. Known for likable but unremarkable performances in movies like Fantastic Four, Cellular and Push, Evans does truly great work here as the rather unhinged engineer of the space shuttle Icarus. Of even more note are the stellar visuals: presented with a budget of under $40 million Boyle and cinematographer Alwin Kuchler create some startling and impressive space imagery.

96. 8 Mile (Curtis Hanson, 2002)

While the movie is also responsible for one of the best rap songs of the decade, Lose Yourself, it also serves as a hell of a good character drama. Coming off of the stellar Wonder Boys and L.A. Confidential, Curtis Hanson's choice to make a rap drama, including the acting debut of the controversial Eminem, was somewhat curious. But Hanson brings great performances out of his actors, particularly Eminem who, despite the autobiographical underpinnings of the work, actually acts. There is genuine emotion behind his performance, particularly in the scenes with Brittany Murphy. The two strike a believable chemistry. Finally, the rap 'battles' are every bit as exciting as the game scenes in most sports movies.

Runner-Up: Blood Diamond (Zwick, 2006)
Runner-Up: Open Water (Kentis, 2004)
Runner-Up: Cinderella Man (Howard, 2005)
Runner-Up: Tigerland (Schumacher, 2000)
Runner-Up: Best in Show (Guest, 2000)
Runner-Up: Letters from Iwo Jima (Eastwood, 2006)
Runner-Up: Saw (Wan, 2004)
101: Big Fish (Burton, 2003)
100: State of Play (Macdonald, 2009)
99: Marley & Me (Frankel, 2008)
98: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Fincher, 2008)
97: Sunshine (Boyle, 2007)
96: 8 Mile (Hanson, 2002)

Runners-Up

Top 101 Movies of the Decade (Runners-Up)

2010-02-12T22:00:00.016-05:00

Runner-Up. Blood Diamond (Edward Zwick, 2006)

Blood Diamond tells the story of a Rhodesian diamond smuggler (Leonardo DiCaprio) whose life is changed by his interactions with an American reporter (Jennifer Connelly) and a Mende fisherman (Djimon Hounsou). As usual, director Edward Zwick crafts compelling action sequences, gets great performances from his actors and constructs a variety of gorgeous and lasting images. DiCaprio is convincing and forceful here, but the most resonant performance is Djimon Hounsou. Hounsou's character is motivated to find and recover his son who has been captured and absorbed into the RUF - the raw emotion and potency of his performance is a thing to behold. His is one of the great supporting performances of the decade.

Runner-Up. Open Water (Chris Kentis, 2004)

Director Chris Kentis paid out of pocket to make this movie on weekends over the course of a year, telling the story of a couple left behind by their boat on a SCUBA diving trip. The couple are played by unknowns (Blanchard Ryan and Daniel Travis), but they bring a panicked believability to their roles. The longer the couple is left in the water, the more panic begins to overtake them and Kentis does a magnificent job crafting palpable tension. Eventually, the couple attract the interest of various sea creatures, in particular the sharks, making for one of the most harrowing and intense film going experiences of the decade.

Runner-Up. Cinderella Man (Ron Howard, 2005)

Cinderella Man tells the true story of Bayonne, NJ native boxer James Braddock. Braddock had been a middling fighter in the time leading up to the depression, but he gets the opportunity to get back in the ring and makes the best of it. Paul Giamatti and Renee Zellweger are effective in support, but the soul of the movie is in Russell Crowe's stirring and authentic performance as Braddock. He has the look and physicality of a prize fighter, but brings a humanity to the role that makes the film so effective.

Runner-Up. Tigerland (Joel Schumacher, 2000)

Joel Schumacher, best known for junk like Batman & Robin, The Lost Boys and 8mm, crafts his most effective story about the infantry training at Ft. Polk, LA during the Vietnam war. One of the best performances of his career sees Colin Farrell play a ne'er-do-well compelled to serve in the army. Farrell is incredibly believable and magnetic in the role as a soldier resistant to his training and the film is aided by strong supporting turns from Cole Hauser, Clifton Collins, Jr. and Matthew Davis. One of the better boot camp movies ever made, Tigerland has been tragically overlooked.

Runner-Up. Best in Show (Christopher Guest, 2000)

Christopher Guest's mockumentary style is pitch perfect in this satirical look at dog shows. Led by hilarious turns from Guest himself, Jane Lynch, Parker Posey and Eugene Levy, Best in Show is certainly the best dog show movie ever made. Special note goes to the uproarious dog show commentary by Fred Willard - one of the funniest performances of the decade.

Runner-Up. Letters from Iwo Jima (Clint Eastwood, 2006)

Eastwood takes on a brave experiment in attempting to tell the battle of Iwo Jima from both perspectives in 2006 pair of Letters from Iwo Jima and Flags of Our Fatehrs. While the American side (Flags) is muddled by some strange editing issues and some sloppy acting, the Japanese side is where Eastwood seems to have found his stride. Led by stellar work from Kazunari Ninomiya and Ken Watanabe (of The Last Samurai and Batman Begins), Letters really takes life. Ninomiya's performance is perfectly understated and has some real emotional impact, especially in the last moments the character spends with his wife before being sent to war.

Runner-Up. Saw (James Wan, 2004)

And right about now you're wondering what on Earth I could be thinking with this selection, but hear me out. The first Saw, which is now overlooked because of 5 messy sequels (and a 6th coming this Halloween), is actually a damn fine horror movie. Nowhere near as exploitative as the series, and the torture porn genre it inspired, have become, director James Wan masterfully manipulates the audiences comfort level and tension throughout the movie. Thanks to strong work from Tobin Bell as the villainous Jigsaw and Cary Elwes as a trapped doctor, Saw builds tension throughout the entire film up until its effective twist ending. Wan, unlike future Saw directors, allows the tension of the horror trap situation to build for over an hour before reaching a startling climax. One of the best horror movies of the decade...

Runner-Up: Blood Diamond (Zwick, 2006)
Runner-Up: Open Water (Kentis, 2004)
Runner-Up: Cinderella Man (Howard, 2005)
Runner-Up: Tigerland (Schumacher, 2000)
Runner-Up: Best in Show (Guest, 2000)
Runner-Up: Letters from Iwo Jima(Eastwood, 2006)
Runner-Up: Saw (Wan, 2004)

Forthcoming: Top 101 Movies of the 2000-2009 Decade

2010-02-12T21:20:00.000-05:00

Coming soon will be my posts for the Top 101 movies of the decade, expect 5-10 movies posted per day. I'll also include some honorable mentions and guilty pleasures after the series is finished. Enjoy...

2008 Movie Review List

2009-09-02T11:22:00.001-04:00

2008 Top 10 (so far):
Honorable Mention: Hellboy II: The Golden Army
10. Visitor, The
9. Gran Torino
8. Revolutionary Road
7. In Bruges
6. Iron Man
5. Frost/Nixon
4. Defiance
3. Rachel Getting Married
2. Wall-E
1. Wrestler, The

2008 Movies:
10,000 B.C.: 2/10
21: 5/10
24: Redemption: 7/10
27 Dresses: 4/10
4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days: 7/10
88 Minutes: 2/10
Appaloosa: 7/10
Australia: 4/10
Baby Mama: 6/10
Babylon A.D.: 3/10
Bangkok Dangerous: 3/10
Bank Job, The: 7/10
Batman: Gotham Knight: 5/10
Be Kind Rewind: 4/10
Bigger Stronger Faster*: 7/10
Black List, The: Volume One: 5/10
Bolt: 8/10
Burn After Reading: 8/10
Cassandra's Dream: 4/10
Changeling: 8/10
Charlie Bartlett: 6/10
Chronicles of Narnia, The: Prince Caspian: 4/10
Class, The: 8/10
Cloverfield: 8/10
Counterfeiters, The: 7/10
Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The: 8/10
Dark Knight, The: 8/10
Day of the Dead: 3/10
Day the Earth Stood Still, The: 4/10
Death Race: 5/10
Defiance: 9/10
Definitely, Maybe: 7/10
Diary of the Dead: 6/10
Doomsday: 3/10
Doubt: 5/10
Drillbit Taylor: 4/10
Duchess, The: 6/10
Eagle Eye: 6/10
Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed: 1/10
Express, The: 6/10
Eye, The: 4/10
Eye of the Beast: 4/10
Fall, The: 8/10
Finding Amanda: 5/10
Flash of Genius: 7/10
Fool's Gold: 5/10
Forbidden Kingdom, The: 6/10
Forgetting Sarah Marshall: 8/10
Four Christmases: 4/10
Frost/Nixon: 10/10
Funny Games: 4/10
Futurama: Bender's Game: 6/10
Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs: 7/10
Get Smart: 5/10
Get Smart's Bruce and Lloyd: Out of Control: 4/10
Goal II: Living the Dream: 6/10
Gran Torino: 9/10
Hamlet 2: 7/10
Hancock: 4/10
Happening, The: 3/10
Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay: 5/10
Hellboy II: The Golden Army: 8/10
Horton Hears a Who!: 5/10
Hottie and the Nottie, The: 2/10
House Bunny, The: 6/10
How to Lose Friends and Alienate People: 4/10
How to Rob a Bank: 2/10
In Bruges: 9/10
In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale: 2/10
Incredible Hulk, The: 7/10
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: 8/10
Iron Man: 9/10
Journey to the Center of the Earth: 6/10
Jumper: 4/10
Justice League: The New Frontier: 6/10
Kung Fu Panda: 7/10
Leatherheads: 5/10
Love Guru, The: 2/10
Mad Money: 3/10
Made of Honor: 4/10
Mamma Mia!: 3/10
Man on Wire: 8/10
Marley and Me: 8/10
Max Payne: 3/10
Married Life: 5/10
Meet the Spartans: 1/10
Midnight Meat Train, The: 4/10
Milk: 8/10
Miracle at St. Anna: 4/10
Mirrors: 4/10
Mummy, The: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor: 3/10
My Best Friend's Girl: 6/10
Never Back Down: 7/10
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist: 7/10
Nights in Rodanthe: 4/10
One Missed Call: 3/10
Other Boleyn Girl, The: 5/10
Outpost: 5/10
Over Her Dead Body: 3/10
Pathology: 3/10
Pineapple Express: 8/10
Pride and Glory: 5/10
Prom Night: 3/10
Punisher: War Zone: 7/10
Quantum of Solace: 8/10
Rachel Getting Married: 10/10
Rambo: 5/10
Reader, The: 5/10
Recount: 8/10
Redbelt: 5/10
Religulous: 6/10
Revolutionary Road: 9/10
Righteous Kill: 4/10
Rocker, The: 5/10
Rogue: 7/10
Role Models: 7/10
Romulus, My Father: 7/10
Ruins, The: 4/10
Run Fatboy Run: 7/10
Savage Grace: 3/10
Saw V: 5/10
Scorpion King 2, The: Rise of a Warrior: 4/10
Semi-Pro: 7/10
Senior Skip Day: 3/10
Seven Pounds: 7/10
Sex and the City: 4/10
Shine a Light: 8/10
Slumdog Millionaire: 8/10
Smart People: 5/10
Speed Racer: 4/10
Spirit, The: 1/10
Star Wars: The Clone Wars: 5/10
Starship Troopers 3: Marauder: 3/10
Step Brothers: 7/10
Step Up 2 the Streets: 4/10
Stop-Loss: 4/10
Strangers, The: 6/10
Street Kings: 5/10
Superhero Movie: 3/10
Teeth: 5/10
Traitor: 8/10
Transporter 3, The: 6/10
Tropic Thunder: 7/10
Twilight: 6/10
U2 3D: 7/10
Untraceable: 7/10
Valkyrie: 7/10
Vantage Point: 3/10
Vicky Cristina Barcelona: 7/10
Visitor, The: 9/10
W.: 5/10
Wackness, The: 7/10
Wall-E: 10/10
Wanted: 8/10
What Happens in Vegas...: 6/10
Where in the World Is Osama bin Laden?: 4/10
White Noise 2: The Light: 5/10
Wrestler, The: 10/10
X-Files, The: I Want to Believe: 7/10
Yes Man: 7/10
You Don't Mess with the Zohan: 6/10
Zack and Miri Make a Porno: 7/10
Zombie Strippers: 2/10

007 Rankings

2009-03-25T08:47:00.003-04:00

Having now seen Quantum of Solace for the second time I finally feel comfortable unveiling my revised James Bond film rankings:

1. Casino Royale (2006)
2. Goldeneye (1995)
3. Goldfinger (1964)
4. From Russia With Love (1963)
5. On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)
6. Dr. No (1962)
7. For Your Eyes Only (1981)
8. The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
9. Thunderball (1965)
10. Quantum of Solace (2008)
11. Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
12. The Living Daylights (1987)
13. Live and Let Die (1973)
14. You Only Live Twice (1967)
15. Never Say Never Again (1983)
16. The World is Not Enough (1999)
17. Die Another Day (2002)
18. Licence to Kill (1989)
19. Diamonds are Forever (1971)
20. The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)
21. Moonraker (1979)
22. Casino Royale (Climax!) (1954)
23. Octopussy (1983)
24. A View to a Kill (1985)
25. Casino Royale (1967)

Best Bond:
1. Sean Connery
2. Daniel Craig
3. Pierce Brosnan
4. George Lazenby
5. Timothy Dalton
6. Roger Moore
7. Barry Nelson
8. David Niven (et al from '67 Casino Royale)

Academy Award Predictions

2009-02-22T10:58:00.003-05:00

I know, I know, it's been forever since I've posted and I'll return with a review binge soon. For now here are my personal rankings of the nominees in each category and my prediction for who will win each. NB: Films I've yet to see are not ranked, just arranged alphabetically...

Best Picture

Ranking:
1. Frost/Nixon
2. Milk
3. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
4. Slumdog Millionaire
5. The Reader
Prediction:
Slumdog Millionaire
Should've been a contender:
The Wrestler; Wall-E; Rachel Getting Married

Best Actor

Ranking:
1. Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler
2. Richard Jenkins, The Visitor
3. Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon
4. Sean Penn, Milk
5. Brad Pitt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Prediction:
Mickey Rourke
Should've been a contender:
Leonardo DiCaprio, Revolutionary Road/Body of Lies; Robert Downey Jr., Iron Man; Colin Farrell, In Bruges; Daniel Craig, Defiance; Don Cheadle, Traitor

Best Actress

Ranking:
1. Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married
2. Kate Winslet, The Reader
3. Angelina Jolie, Changeling
4. Meryl Streep, Doubt
Melissa Leo, Frozen River
Prediction:
Kate Winslet
Should've been a contender:
Kate Winslet, Revolutionary Road; Rebecca Hall, Vicky Christina Barcelona; Diane Lane, Untraceable; Jennifer Aniston, Marley and Me

Best Supporting Actor

Ranking:
1. Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
2. Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt
3. Josh Brolin, Milk
4. Robert Downey Jr., Tropic Thunder
5. Michael Shannon, Revolutionary Road
Prediction:
Heath Ledger
Should've been a contender:
James Franco, Pineapple Express/Milk; Brad Pitt, Burn After Reading; Michael Sheen, Frost/Nison; Bill Iwin, Rachel Getting Married; Brendon Gleeson, In Bruges; Jamie Bell, Defiance; Viggo Mortensen, Appaloosa; Dev Patel, Slumdog Millionaire; Said Taghmaoui, Traitor; Doug Jones, Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Best Supporting Actress

Ranking:
1. Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler
2. Amy Adams, Doubt
3. Viola Davis, Doubt
4. Penelope Cruz, Vicky Christina Barcelona
5. Taraji P. Henson, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Prediction:
Penelope Cruz
Should've been a contender:
Hiam Abbass, The Visitor; Rosemarie Dewitt, Rachel Getting Married; Clemence Poesy, In Bruges; Isla Fisher, Definitely, Maybe; Debra Winger, Rachel Getting Married

Best Director

Ranking:
1. David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
2. Ron Howard, Frost/Nixon
3. Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
4. Gus Van Sant, Milk
5. Stephen Daldry, The Reader
Prediction:
Danny Boyle
Should've been a contender:
Jonathan Demme, Rachel Getting Married; Darren Aronofsky, The Wrestler; Andrew Stanton, Wall-E

Best Original Screenplay

Ranking:
1. Martin McDonough, In Bruges
2. Andrew Stanton, Wall-E
3. Dustin Lance Black, Milk
4. Mike Leigh, Happy-Go-Lucky
UR. Courtney Hunt, Frozen River (NB: Still need to see Frozen River)
Prediction:
Dustin Lance Black
Should've been a contender:
Jenny Lumet, Rachel Getting Married; Robert Siegel, The Wrestler; Tom McCarthy, The Visitor; Joel Coen/Ethan Coen, Burn After Reading; John Kamps/David Koepp, Ghost Town

Best Adapted Screenplay

Ranking:
1. Peter Morgan, Frost/Nixon
2. Eric Roth, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
3. Simon Beaufoy, Slumdog Millionaire
4. John Patrick Shanley, Doubt
5. David Hare, The Reader
Prediction:
Simon Beaufoy
Should've been a contender:
Clayton Frohman/Edward Zwick, Defiance; Justine Haythe, Revolutionary Road; William Monaghan, Body of Lies

Best Editing

Ranking:
1. Slumdog Millionaire
2. Frost/Nixon
3. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
4. Milk
5. The Dark Knight
Prediction:
Slumdog Millionaire
Should've been a contender:
Defiance; Rachel Getting Married

Best Cinematography

Ranking:
1. Claudio Miranda, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
2. Wally Pfister, The Dark Knight
3. Anthony Dod Mantle, Slumdog Millionaire
4. Tom Stern, Changeling
5. Chris Menges/Roger Deakins, The Reader
Prediction:
Anthony Dod Mantle
Should've been a contender:
Colin Watkinson, The Fall; Guillermo Navarro, Hellboy II: The Golden Army; Eduardo Serra, Defiance; Roger Deakins, Revolutionary Road; Mandy Walker, Australia

Best Art Direction

Ranking:
1. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
2. The Dark Knight
3. Revolutionary Road
4. Changeling
5. The Duchess
Prediction:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Should've been a contender:
Hellboy II: The Golden Army; The Fall; Defiance; Australia

Best Foreign Language Film

Nominees:
1. The Class (France)
The Baader Meinhof Complex (Germany)
Departures (Japan)
Revanche (Austria)
Waltz with Bashir (Israel)
Prediction:
Waltz with Bashir
Should've been a contender:
Gomorrah; Let the Right One In

Best Documentary

Nominees:
1. Man on Wire
2. Encounters at the End of the World
The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)
The Garden
Trouble the Water
Prediction:
Man on Wire
Should've been a contender:
Standard Operating Procedure; Bigger, Stronger, Faster*

Best Animated Film

Ranking:
1. Wall-E
2. Kung Fu Panda
3. Bolt
Prediction:
Wall-E
Should've been a contender:
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa

Best Song

Ranking:
1. Down to Earth by Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman, Wall-E
2. Jaiho, Slumdog Millionaire
3. O Saya, Slumdog Millionaire
Prediction:
Down to Earth
Should've been a contender:
The Wrestler by Bruce Springsteen, The Wrestler

Best Score

Ranking:
1. James Newton Howard, Defiance
2. Thomas Newman, Wall-E
3. Alexandre Desplat, Benjamin Button
4. Danny Elfman, Milk
5. A.R. Rahman, Slumdog Millionaire
Prediction:
A.R. Rahman
Should've been a contender:
James Newton Howard/Hans Zimmer, The Dark Knight; Danny Elfman, Hellboy II: The Golden Army; David Arnold, Quantum of Solace; Clint Mansell, The Wrestler; Geoff Zanelli, Ghost Town

Best Visual Effects

Ranking:
1. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
2. Iron Man
3. The Dark Knight
Prediction:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Should've been a contender:
Hellboy II: The Golden Army; Quantum of Solace

Best Makeup

Ranking:
1. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
2. Hellboy II: The Golden Army
3. The Dark Knight
Prediction:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Should've been a contender:
The Fall

Best Costume Design

Ranking:
1. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
2. Revolutionary Road
3. Australia
4. The Duchess
5. Milk
Prediction:
The Duchess
Should've been a contender:
The Fall; Hellboy II: The Golden Army; The Other Boleyn Girl; Changeling; Defiance

Best Sound Mixing

Ranking:
1. Wall-E
2. The Dark Knight
3. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
4. Wanted
5. Slumdog Millionaire
Prediction:
The Dark Knight
Should've been a contender:
Hellboy II: The Golden Army; Defiance; Quantum of Solace

Best Sound Editing

Ranking:
1. Wall-E
2. Iron Man
3. The Dark Knight
4. Wanted
5. Slumdog Millionaire
Prediction:
The Dark Knight
Should've been a contender:
Hellboy II: The Golden Army; The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

Best Animated Short
Nominees:
1. Presto
La Maison en Petits Cubes
Lavatory - Lovestory
Oktapodi
This Way Up
Prediction:
This Way Up

Best Live Action Short
Nominees:
Auf der Strecke
Manon on the Asphalt
New Boy
The Pig
Spielzeugland (Toyland)
Prediction:
New Boy

Best Documentary Short
Nominees:
The Conscience of Nhem En
The Final Inch
Smile Pinki
The Witness from the Balcony of Room 306
Prediction:
The Conscience of Nhem En

Starship Troopers 3: Marauder Review

2008-10-04T10:03:00.001-04:00

Starship Troopers 3: Marauder returns the series to its action/war roots (after a diversion into horror in the first sequel) as Casper Van Dien returns as Johnny Rico back to kill more bugs. Jolene Blalock also stars.

Pros:
- It sure is nice to have Casper Van Dien back as Johnny Rico and I like that they've (somewhat) logically aged the character since the first movie's events. Van Dien is easily the best part of the movie.
- The story itself is silly but it's better to have the war against the bugs than the awful horror story of #2.

Cons:
- It's really a backhanded compliment to say that Casper Van Dien is the best thing about this movie...it's never a good thing if Casper Van Dien is the best thing about your movie.
- Jolene Blalock and all the supporting actors for that matter are simply terrible.
- Subtlety is not something one would often accuse Starship Troopers 1 director Paul Verhoeven of being good at, but Edward Neumeier (who wrote and directed this one) makes Verhoeven seem to have a master's touch. The film's politics are so blatant, and out of place, that it's hard to be anything but disappointed. The Federal Network 'news segments' intercut during the original film are the best parts of the movie, here they're nearly intolerable as Neumeier beats you over the head with his agenda.

Verdict:
- The original Starship Troopers is one of my all time favorite guilty pleasure movies (and I really don't think it's anywhere near as bad as its reputation) so I'm really disappointed at how this one turned out. The first sequel turned its back on the first film's formula, embracing a silly horror movie-esque scenario, and it turned out terribly. I was sadly disappointed that this 'return to form' failed to recapture really any of the magic of the first film. I can't really recommend this at all.

Overall Score: 3/10

Journey to the Center of the Earth Review

2008-10-04T09:45:00.001-04:00

Journey to the Center of the Earth is the newest adaptation of the famed Jules Verne novel, this time in 3D. It stars Brendan Fraser as a man searching for his brother, Josh Hutcherson as Fraser's nephew and Anita Briem as their tour guide.

Pros:
- The movie has a great and enjoyable sense of energy and wonder. It's really a theme park ride expanded to full feature length.
- Special effect guru Eric Brevig's touch at director allows the movie to embrace silly VFX to a surprisingly enjoyable effect.
- Fraser, perpetually exuberant and youthful, is the perfect lead for a somewhat absurd story like this.
- This movie has given me faith that 3D is viable. The Real3D system (which uses 3D glasses that aren't uncomfortable to wear) is far more effective than the mediocre displays of the past. The 3D here, though gimmicky, makes the whole experience so much more fun. Dinosaurs, mutant venus fly traps, rocks that float on air and lava explosions are all more fun in 3D.

Cons:
- While it's nice to see someone try to come up with a 'new' take on Journey to the Center of the Earth, the notion of Vernians (yes, people who follow the writings of Jules Verne as true) is pretty silly.
- The screenplay is mediocre and the supporting performances are nothing to write home about.
- I can't imagine this would have been half as enjoyable in 2D.

Verdict:
- It's not a 'good' movie, but I found Journey to the Center of the Earth perfectly enjoyable. It's also a nice showcase for the future of 3D.

Overall Score: 6/10

Hellboy II: The Golden Army Review

2008-09-18T18:57:00.000-04:00

Hellboy II tells the continued adventure of Hellboy (Ron Perlman), Abe Sapien (Doug Jones) and Liz Sherman (Selma Blair). Director Guillermo del Toro returns to the helm as Hellboy and friends are now tasked with preventing the angry supernatural Prince Nuada (Luke Goss) from exacting vengeance on humanity (by awakening the titular Golden Army) for our breach of an old human-fantasy creature treaty with our disregard for the environment.

For my money Guillermo del Toro is as brilliant a fantasy director as there is today and I saw with certainty that this film (and its underrated predecessor) would have been nothing short of disastrous in the hands of a lesser auteur. Del Toro opens the film during the Second World War on Christmas Eve as Hellboy is told the bedtime story of the Golden Army by his "father" (John Hurt reprising his role from the first film), a story of course which will inevitably come into play later in the film. In the hands of a lesser director this scene, there is something quite absurd about a juvenile red demon at a small World War II base hearing a bedtime story, the film could have fallen apart in the first few minutes. Del Toro has a wonderful touch, however, with his actors and in the wonderful way he integrates fantasy and reality (not just in this series but in other films like Pan's Labyrinth, one of the best films of the decade, The Devil's Backbone and the underrated Blade II) which makes the whole thing tenable.

The actors, in costume or not, are all magnificently cast and play their roles with just the right mix of humor and gravity. As far as I'm concerned Ron Perlman was born to play this role, his red demon with a love for kittens and Baby Ruth bars is as human and empathetic as any on screen this past summer. There's something deeply sympathetic, and believable in the way Perlman and del Toro present it, about Hellboy downing a beer in the shower after a fight with his girlfriend. I think particular note should be given to Anna Walton and Doug Jones. Doug Jones is an incredible physical actor who previously had been limited to acting only behind a creature suit. With great success Jones played most of the creatures in del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth Walton, but other actors did the voice work. Likewise in the first Hellboy and Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer Jones did great physical work only to be voice dubbed over (by David Hyde Pierce and Laurence Fishburne respectively). Here Jones finally gets to voice his own character and, no disrespect to Pierce who did fine voice work in the first film, he does a phenomenal job. Beyond that Jones brings an unbelievable otherworldly quality to his movements that make Abe Sapien seem both strangely alien but also compelling organic. Walton plays the sister of Luke Goss' Prince Nuada, Princess Nuala who becomes a love interest for Jones' Abe. Together they have such sweet chemistry... I have to say I'm rather stunned that my two favorite love stories this year involve the relationships of two robots (Wall-E) and of a fish-man and a golden princess.

Throughout the film del Toro crates masterful scenes for his characters. In an incredibly well designed homage to the cantina scene in Star Wars: A New Hope, our heroes visit a fantastical marketplace (located, of all places, under the Brooklyn Bridge). The entire segment is a feast for the eyes and a tribute to the unbelievable costume, CGI and make-up work on display in the film. Another great scene, which I can't imagine anyone but del Toro pulling off, has Perlman and Jones drunkenly singing about the trials of love. Del Toro, and his DP Guillermo Navarro, have an absolute gift for crafting incredible imagery which is on display at no moment more than when Hellboy and crew walk through the shimmering aftermath of Hellby's battle with a plant monster. Breathtaking stuff!

I found the film to have two weak aspects of note. The first is the performance of Luke Goss. Compared to Perlman, Jones and Walton, Goss really fails to bring the same sort of emotion and believability to his role as the other actors buried in costume. The other weak aspect is actually the film's climax. Much like in the first film's climax, del Toro seems to lose his characters a bit as the action really picks up. Considering what a masterful job del Toro has done throughout the rest of the film it is surprising to see the film's penultimate moment devolve into a bombastic mix of stunts and CGI. All this is not to say the climax is poorly done, just that it's a step down from the greatness of the rest of the film.

Overall Score: 8/10

Futurama: Beast with a Billion Backs Review

2008-09-18T17:22:00.000-04:00

Futurama: Beast with a Billion Backs is the second of four post-series Futurama movies, following last year's Bender's Big Score. It tells, among others, the story of an alien monster that comes to Earth and tries to capture all of humanity in its euphoric grasp.

Pros:
- Despite a number of relatively aimless subplots (like Bender's time in the League of Robots), this Futurama film tells a better cohesive story than the first.
- Small beloved characters get nice little roles, but the focus thankfully remains on the principle players.
- Put simply it's nice to have more Futurama, one of the wittiest shows of the last two decades.

Cons:
- As the first film also suggested, Futurama is likely best suited in 22 minute blocks instead of the roughly four episodes smushed into a movie here.
- As already mentioned the story isn't exactly cohesive and satisfying (which is a function of the fact that the movie will eventually be split into episodes for rebroadcast).

Verdict:
- While it isn't the perfect Futurama movie, it's always nice to have more of it. Ideally this set of four movies (the next two will be released in November '08 and early '09) will sell well enough to merit a full resurrection for the show on a major network.
- Futurama fans will love this, but neophytes can definitely get a taste of what made the show so great from this movie.

Overall Score: 7/10

The Love Guru Review

2008-08-02T18:25:00.000-04:00

The movie tells the story of a love guru (Mike Myers) who comes to America to fix the relationship problems of an NHL player (Romany Malco) at the behest of the team's owner (Jessica Alba).

Pros:
- Stephen Colbert is absolutely hilarious in a far too small role as a Toronto Maple Leafs commentator. His scenes were the only thing that dragged me through.
- It's less than 90 minutes counting the credits.

Cons:
- Having watched this movie it's very difficult to believe I ever though Mike Myers was funny. He spends the bulk of the movie mugging for the camera almost as though he's begging for laughs.
- The supporting actors often seem somewhat embarrassed to be in this project. There are numerous scenes where Jessica Alba looks visibly uncomfortable to be on screen with Myers. Romany Malco and Justin Timberlake are both very talented individuals and deserve so much better.
- The material is crude and sophomoric in a tremendously unfunny way. How many dumb fart and dick jokes can you possibly tell in 90 minutes? I'd rather die than watch Love Guru again, but if you feel motivated you can watch and count to get an idea.

Verdict:
- This movie was absolutely terrible and should signify the death knell of Mike Myers' non-Shrek career as a leading man. I can't possibly imagine the upcoming Austin Powers 4 will be any good. Colbert is hilarious, unfortunately he is on screen for maybe five of the film's 90 mintues and it sure isn't worth sitting through for that. Don't see this movie.

Overall Score: 2/10