Features of the Decade
Well I suppose a decade of top ten lists had to lead to this. I’ve got a lot of good film memories from the last ten years : interviewing film makers for the London Film Festival; breaking down on the motorway on New Year’s Eve as I tried to bag my 100th film of the year; hell, I even had my first ever cinema walkout. As with every decade there were some mindblowing highs as well as chunk blowing lows. All of the movies here resonated with me, have continued to improve on repeat viewings and are sure to last.
In chronological order –
Requiem for a Dream (2000)
I still feel Ellen Burstyn was robbed of an oscar for her portrayal in this. Frenetic movie making from beginning to end. Aronofsky manages to shine a spotlight on the absolute filthy depths that drug addiction will take you without being, you know, judgemental.
Memento (2000)
Boy did this film make you sit up and take notice. A revenger triller not only told backwards but from the point of view of someone who has no long term memory, but the the narrative reset each time he blacked out and woke up a stranger in a strange land.
Amores Perros (2000)
Whenever I see pedestrians walking confectionary dogs in the park I can’t get the pathetic cries of ‘Riiicky’ out of my head. Beautifully matched ensemble piece that promised to herald a new wave of Mexican cinema that, as far as I can see at least, we’re still waiting for.
City of God (2003)
Wow. A much heralded picture that not only lived up to but far surpassed the hype. Phenomenally well shot – each shot either bleached by the Rio sun or illuminated by the light of a reefer. Wonderfully paced and a crackerjack soundtrack – this set the bar for all of the remaining films this decade.
Old Boy (2003)
Park’s most innovative and thrilling part of his vengeance trilogy with a twist at the end I defy anyone to have predicted.
Dead Man’s Shoes (2004)
This remained superbly malevolent from beginning to end and Meadows seems to bring out the best of Paddy Considine. One question tho’…how on earth did he get that guy into the suitcase?
A Very Long Engagement (2005)
A better movie than Amelie, and far more satisfying to watch. A quietly paced story following a wonderfully naif investigator who keeps pulling at loose threads until an entire complex of stories unravels.
The New World (2006)
Mallick almost became a personal persona non grata post Thin Red Line so I steered clear of this for quite some time. Stupid me. Breathtaking mise-en-scene, lovely pace and good facial hair on Firth.
United 93 (2006)
Greengrass pitched this perfectly – not sentimental, mawkish or macho. The story was allowed to develop at its own pace and the full horror was fed to the audience in the same realtime as it was to the passengers, while the ending was so dramatic I honestly thought they were going to pull it off.
Cargo 200 (2008)
This remains one of the most disturbing films I can remember seeing. A spectre of dread permeates every frame and one scene in particular is spectacularly, yet fascinatingly disgusting. Despite the horror this is film making at its very best.
Let the Right One In (2009)
As bloody as you might expect from a vampire movie set in the Stockholm hinterland in dead of winter but under the surface a very sweet story of two vulerable people who just want to look after each other.
Just, and only just missed the cut
The Royal Tennenbaums
Mulholland Drive
The Lives of Others
Junebug
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Me, You and Everyone We Know
Downfall
Harsh Times
The Prestige
You Can Count on Me
Lord of the Rings Trilogy
nice list G. American Beauty, magnolia, fight club, There will be blood, Punch Drunk love, would be on my list. thoughts?
American Beauty, Magnolia & Fight Club all released in 1999. Enjoyed PDL and think There Will Be Blood could be a fantastic film too…possibly did not appreciate it as much as I should on my one and only viewing. Will take another look and re-evaluate.
I can´t comment on Cargo 200 (since I didn´t see it) but would probably favour Ichi the Killer over it, in terms of how disturbing it was. As you well know Let the Right One in should only be used to help half suicidial people to make up their minds (no, that´s unfair – it´s bound to depress them more). The New World, while I didn´t hate, just left me totally fridgid… Malick´s work has that effect on me. And I know you don´t have a sense of humour, but just to please us Germans you should put something like Zoolander, or even Borat (instead of that rubbish Scandy vampy flick; for instance). Or even Synechdoche, NY if the others are too low brow for you… Having said all that the rest are right on (though I do resent the principle (not the fact) that there is no disaster film in those lists, ever…
No Disaster Flick? What about United 93…or even The New World.
Synechdoche, NY is bubbling around the edges of THIS year’s top ten list but nowhere near for the decade. Borat and Shaun of the Dead both contenders but then I remembered that, No, I don’t have a sense of humour.
I am expecting a ‘Top Disaster Flicks of the Decade’ from you soon.
Its actually illegal not to have a peter thomas anderson film in their. You could get shot for it G :). forget the others. what about The departed? I thought it had a punch.
Well, both United 93 & New World (?) are way to depressing to be called Disaster Flicks…. as you well know the concept of this particular genre is that you feel safe in your cinema seat because the shit is happening on the screen, not in your life (having said that it adds a bit of a thrill to have a disaster that is at least vaguely redolent of something that might have happened to your neighbours (Twister), but not yourself. I mean if we really thought the end of the world was coming in just over two years I don´t think many people would spend time or money to see the future predicted by man with interesting concepts and poor directing skills (Roland ‘King of Disaster’ Emmerich).
And thanks for not including a PTArsehole film – as you know I never lie (I believe the biological possibility has been genetically removed from my being), and the guy is seriously overrated (just that other Anderson)… Much love
Good man Giles, you’re a great man for the lists!
Didn’t like “A Very Long Engagement” @ all I have to say. Maybe need to watch it again but just thought it “A Very Long Film” when I seen it.
Would have had “Requiem…”, “City of God”, “Amores Perros”, “Memento”, “Mulholland Drive” (you’ll not be surprised to hear), “You Can Count On Me”, “Eternal….”, “The Lives Of Others”, “Donnie Darko”, & Prob “Last Resort”.
Requiem & Mulholland being my favs.
Just missing out “Before Sunset”, “The Assassination of Richard Nixon”, “Tennenbaums”, “The Man Who Wasn’t There”, “Junebug”, & a few others.
Did you leave off A History of Violence just to catch us out?
Pan’s Labyrinth, The Proposition, The Assassination of Jesse James and (doh!) School of Rock are also in our top ten alongside Deadman’s Shoes, City of God, Memento, Eternal Sunshine and The Lives of Others.
Noughtie pleasures: Bourne Ultimatum, Brokeback Mountain, Hellboy.
I probably would have had The Assassination of Richard Nixon on there, Wonderland, Autofocus,Mystic River, You Can Count On Me, Carandiru and Wolf Creek.
Will have to think on some others.
Think I am still too traumatized by Wolf Creek to acknowledge that one: very very chilling stuff. Slightly underwhelmed by Nixon. The rest I like very much.