FOT Forum
FOT Community => General Discussion => Topic started by: harris on December 16, 2009, 08:12:39 AM
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Well it's about that time again. What say you?
1. Fantastic Mr. Fox ~ Wes Anderson
2. 35 Shots of Rum ~ Claire Denis
3. Beeswax ~ Andrew Bujalski
4. Lorna's Silence ~ Dardenne Bros
5. Inglourious Basterds ~ Quentin Tarantino
6. Moon ~ Duncan Jones
7. The Road ~ John Hillcoat
8. The Girlfriend Experience ~ Steven Soderbergh
9. A Serious Man ~ Coen Bros
10. Extract ~ Mike Judge
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This is off the top of my head, so I'm probably forgetting something great:
1. Moon
2. A Serious Man
3. Adventureland
4. In the Loop
5. Up
6. Star Trek
7. The Hangover
8. Zombieland
9. Coraline
10. The Informant!
Not necessarily in order of preference.
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Quentin Tarantino's Top 8 of 2009! (http://www.heatvisionblog.com/2009/12/quentin-tarantino-lists-his-top-films-of-2009.html) (video)
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Here is my list as of now. I still need to see several films, including A Serious Man, which is almost certain to find a spot.
1. Inglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino)
2. The Fantastic Mr. Fox (Wes Anderson)
3. Anvil!: The Story of Anvil (Sacha Gervasi)
4. Adventureland (Greg Mottola)
5. World's Greatest Dad (Bobcat Goldthwait)
6. The Girlfriend Experience (Steven Soderbergh)
7. The Informant! (Steven Soderbergh)
8. Extract (Mike Judge)
9. Zombieland (Ruben Fleischer)
10. Brüno (Larry Charles)
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I saw Goodbye Solo and Nights and Weekends this year but they were released in 2008. They are both really great films that wouldve made the 09 list if they were released this year.
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Well, Lorna's Silence is also 2008. (But I'm guessing you go by US release dates?)
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Yeh I didn't see it until November. I didn't even thhink of looking that one up.
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There's still a good deal of stuff I haven't seen, including The Road and Fantastic Mr Fox, but these are my top 5 from what I have seen:
5. The Informant!
4. Tyson
3. The Hurt Locker
2. Moon
1. A Serious Man
Also, big ups to Gomorra, Coraline, and Soderbergh's Che movies, which I can't remember if they came out in early 2009 or late 2008, but didn't open in my town until 2009, so I count them in the 2009 grey area. (I know, if only there were an easy way to find out what the release dates of movies were...)
Also, worst film that I saw theatrically in 2009: The Informers, hands down. And that's despite the copious nudity and Brad Renfro's fantastic, amazingly creepy performance.
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Yeh I didn't see it until November. I didn't even thhink of looking that one up.
To avoid confusion I always try to go by IMDB dates (possible exception: when IMDB considers a 2009 film to be from 2008 just because it screened at one small festival once; however, if it screened at any of the major festivals, it's a 2008 film).
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As hokey as this stuff can be, I absolutely love best-of lists. This format just works for me.
LOVE IT.
That said.....
1. Serious Man--a story of my life, as it is being currently lived, or whatever close approximate I can conjur.
2. Star Trek--totally blindsided me.
3. Inglorious Bassturds--loved it. I was extremely resistant and came around after t-minus 2 minutes into the film.
4. Moon--wonderfully paced, a little goofy at times, but I thought about it for weeks afterwards.
5. Mr. Fox--loved it.
6. Wild Things--indefensible, but I was really moved by this movie. WORST SNTK EVER.
Biggest disappointments:
Public Enemies
Funny People
Observe and Report
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Holding off at least until I see 35 Shots of Rum this week (maybe), although really I should wait til after A&TC:The Squeakuel.
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I'm looking forward to It's Complicated.
Also enjoyed Fantastic Mr. Fox, A Serious Man, The Hangover, and the Meryl Streep half (the "Julia" parts) of Julie & Julia.
also enjoyed Up & Coarline.
did not enjoy Bride Wars.
haven't seen Inglorious Bastards Yet.
and SPOILER alert! clip of my favorite dance sequence of 2009:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2seAJsrtIbQ
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Biggest disappointments:
Public Enemies
I liked this better when I watched it a second time.
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OK, due to recent chaotic developments I don't know when I'll see another movie. Therefore, might as well post my current list before I lose all interest in January.
In the Loop
Inglourious Basterds
Fantastic Mr. Fox
A Serious Man
The Hurt Locker
The Informant!
Still Walking
Gomorrah
The Hangover
The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans
La Danse: The Paris Opera Ballet
Honorable mention: "Headbanging while making fire" youtube clip Just saw it was from 2008.
Quite the comeback year for Tarantino and Anderson. Will we even still make lists after Avatar CHANGES MOVIES FOREVER this weekend? In the unlikely event we do, I'll see you in December 2010!
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La Danse: The Paris Opera Ballet
Cool. Can't wait to see this. Rewatched High School recently.
Will we even still make lists after Avatar CHANGES MOVIES FOREVER this weekend? In the unlikely event we do, I'll see you in December 2010!
This has been discussed on twitter. I believe the consensus was that filmmaking officially implodes/dies this weekend, then is reborn on Monday, starting with remakes of the early Lumieres and moving forward. Workers Leaving the Factory 3D is already shortlisted for Cannes.
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If we're giving year-end props here, I think Andy Breckman's supporting turn in A Serious Man deserves some special consideration. Maybe this is the year the Academy will finally start to recognize his work.
(http://www.filminfocus.com/uploads/image/leadphoto/1250104988-bcb62650ec0ce6bc4cafd34bdb8e13ee/230.jpg)
(http://www.andybreckman.com/images/andybreckman.jpg)
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I don't think I saw 10 new movies this year. I however loved the following films:
Moon
500 days of summer
and...
The Hangover
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Unless you are epileptic or suffer from stress induced migraines, I'd highly recommend this one:
(http://www.rrr.org.au/assets/a-town-called-panic.jpg)
Very fun!
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1. IN THE LOOP (The best movie of 2009. The rest are in no order.)
2. THE FANTASTIC MR. FOX
3. INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
4. DRAG ME TO HELL/HOUSE OF THE DEVIL
5. CORALINE
6. A SERIOUS MAN
7. MOON/STAR TREK/DISTRICT 9 (A pretty solid year for mainstream sci-fi! Excuse me - syfy.)
8. THE INFORMANT!
9. THE HURT LOCKER
10. GOMORRAH
Haven't seen: BIG FAN, WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE, BRONSON, JULIA, AVATAR, BAD LIEUTENANT, THE WHITE RIBBON, PONYO, AFTERSCHOOL.
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Just saw The Hurt Locker and thought it was pretty great. Also thought Up In The Air was pretty good anybody seen it yet?
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Just saw The Hurt Locker and thought it was pretty great.
I would put The Hurt Locker up there in my top 10 if it didn't have one of the WORST ENDINGS IN THE HISTORY OF CINEMA.
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Just saw The Hurt Locker and thought it was pretty great.
I would put The Hurt Locker up there in my top 10 if it didn't have one of the WORST ENDINGS IN THE HISTORY OF CINEMA.
I didn't have problems with the ending at all. What else would have worked?
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Just saw The Hurt Locker and thought it was pretty great.
I would put The Hurt Locker up there in my top 10 if it didn't have one of the WORST ENDINGS IN THE HISTORY OF CINEMA.
I didn't have problems with the ending at all. What else would have worked?
It should have ended in the grocery store with a cut to black, without that godsmack army commercial ending. I was fully satisfied with the story at that point and knew what I needed to know about that character.
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Just saw The Hurt Locker and thought it was pretty great.
I would put The Hurt Locker up there in my top 10 if it didn't have one of the WORST ENDINGS IN THE HISTORY OF CINEMA.
I didn't have problems with the ending at all. What else would have worked?
It should have ended in the grocery store with a cut to black, without that godsmack army commercial ending. I was fully satisfied with the story at that point and knew what I needed to know about that character.
SPOILER
SPOILER
THE HURT SPOILER
That would have made some army commercial. Go Army... to your inextricable doom! Ending it at that point without him making the choice to go back would have nullified the whole purpose of the film. The ending gives you everything you need to know about his eventual fate without actually showing it.
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Just saw The Hurt Locker and thought it was pretty great.
I would put The Hurt Locker up there in my top 10 if it didn't have one of the WORST ENDINGS IN THE HISTORY OF CINEMA.
I didn't have problems with the ending at all. What else would have worked?
It should have ended in the grocery store with a cut to black, without that godsmack army commercial ending. I was fully satisfied with the story at that point and knew what I needed to know about that character.
SPOILER
SPOILER
THE HURT SPOILER
That would have made some army commercial. Go Army... to your inextricable doom! Ending it at that point without him making the choice to go back would have nullified the whole purpose of the film. The ending gives you everything you need to know about his eventual fate without actually showing it.
HURT LOCKER, THE: SPOILER: OH NO!
He obviously felt lifeless and useless and alienated back in the states. It was clear that he wished to go back. It's far more powerful to see him so unhappy in the safe environment he was fighting for, knowing he doesn't feel whole as a father or husband but rather as a crazy bomb guy.
Then again, I kinda want every movie to end like No Country for Old Men. So, there's that.
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Just saw The Hurt Locker and thought it was pretty great.
I would put The Hurt Locker up there in my top 10 if it didn't have one of the WORST ENDINGS IN THE HISTORY OF CINEMA.
I wished it would have ended with him at home some way too. I could have done without the slow motion shots seemed unnecessary also the psychiatrist being too nice to the Iraqs was a little over the top.
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Top 5 Faves of 2009:
5.Where the Wild Things Are
4.Whatever Works
3.The Hangover
2.The Reader
1.Precious
Top 5 I still want to see:
5.Watchmen
4.The Princess and the Frog
3.500 Days of Summer
2.Up in the Air
1.Fantastic Mr. Fox
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1. IN THE LOOP (The best movie of 2009. The rest are in no order.)
2. THE FANTASTIC MR. FOX
3. INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
4. DRAG ME TO HELL/HOUSE OF THE DEVIL
5. CORALINE
6. A SERIOUS MAN
7. MOON/STAR TREK/DISTRICT 9 (A pretty solid year for mainstream sci-fi! Excuse me - syfy.)
8. THE INFORMANT!
9. THE HURT LOCKER
10. GOMORRAH
Haven't seen: BIG FAN, WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE, BRONSON, JULIA, AVATAR, BAD LIEUTENANT, THE WHITE RIBBON, PONYO, AFTERSCHOOL.
Whoops, I forgot about THE LIMITS OF CONTROL! I'm sure a lot of people thought it was a snooze, but I was quite taken with it. So taken with it, in fact, that I mistakenly omitted it from my Top Ten list.
So, THE INFORMANT! is out, and THE LIMITS OF CONTROL is in. I thought THE INFORMANT! was kinda weak until the last half hour, anyway.
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Here's mine: the top 3 are set in stone, and the rest of the list was more just me trying to remember what I had seen this year.
1. A Serious Man
2. In The Loop
3. The Hurt Locker
4. Bad Lieutenant: Port Of Call: New Orleans
5. Inglourious Basterds
6. Sherlock Holmes
7. Star Trek
8. Adventureland
9. Public Enemies
10. District 9
I haven't seen A Single Man, Julia, or Tetro yet, so those might have made the cut. Hunger and The Limits Of Control were good, but I also forgot that I had seen them.
Most disappointing movie was easily Terminator: Salvation: I should have known better, but I got suckered in by that Nine Inch Nails trailer.
I also got suckered into sitting through Watchmen. I never leave movies mid-stream, but I came close with that one.
In related list news, Roger Ebert has Knowing on his "Best Of Mainstream Films" list:
http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2009/12/the_best_films_of_2009.html
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In related list news, Roger Ebert has Knowing on his "Best Of Mainstream Films" list:
http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2009/12/the_best_films_of_2009.html
I can't wait until I can go to the UA Stadium 16 and catch a showing of Michael Haneke's new mainstream flick, "The White Ribbon."
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I wished it would have ended with him at home some way too. I could have done without the slow motion shots seemed unnecessary also the psychiatrist being too nice to the Iraqs was a little over the top.
Actually I thought the psychiatrist being nice was meant to be some comic relief, and one of the best moments of the film. About the ending, I think the way it ended was fine, but the real problem I had was how the third act sagged much more than the rest of the film.
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I wished it would have ended with him at home some way too. I could have done without the slow motion shots seemed unnecessary also the psychiatrist being too nice to the Iraqs was a little over the top.
Actually I thought the psychiatrist being nice was meant to be some comic relief, and one of the best moments of the film. About the ending, I think the way it ended was fine, but the real problem I had was how the third act sagged much more than the rest of the film.
You didn't like the when he went and looked for the little boy? That was almost as tense as some of the bomb scenes.
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Whoops, I forgot about THE LIMITS OF CONTROL! I'm sure a lot of people thought it was a snooze, but I was quite taken with it. So taken with it, in fact, that I mistakenly omitted it from my Top Ten list.
I also liked Limits of Control. I wouldn't put it in my top 10, but the protagonist does win the "Best Dressed" award; possibly of the decade. Best appreciated as a visual and sound exhibition, and of course Chris Doyle shot it so it looks impeccable. Biggest groaner for me though was when Bill Murray's character turned out to be a neocon-type.
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You didn't like the when he went and looked for the little boy? That was almost as tense as some of the bomb scenes.
Agreed, but I didn't remember if that was part of the third act. Does anyone know if The Hurt Locker is already experiencing a critical backlash like Crash and Juno already. I only say this because it seemed like the reviews from the summer were all glowing knowing that people wouldn't be able to see it for a long time. Ebert's recent top of the decade list had it at #2 and the massive Metacritic score don't help people's high expectations to collapse when seeing it.
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Preliminary Top Ten! (in alphabetical order)
35 rhums (Claire Denis)
Fantastic Mr. Fox (Wes Anderson)
Fish Tank (Andrea Arnold)
In the Loop (Armando Iannucci)
Moon (Duncan Jones)
Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea (Hayao Miyazaki)
Two Lovers (James Gray)
Up (Pete Docter)
Das Weiße Band (Michael Haneke)
World's Greatest Dad (Bobcat Goldthwait)
Yet to see: A Serious Man, Antichrist, Big Fan, Bright Star, Politist, adj., Stingray Sam, The Road, Un prophète, Avatar, Sugar.
I have a feeling one, maybe two, of those unseen films will make the top ten.
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Preliminary Top Ten! (in alphabetical order)
35 rhums (Claire Denis)
Fantastic Mr. Fox (Wes Anderson)
Fish Tank (Andrea Arnold)
In the Loop (Armando Iannucci)
Moon (Duncan Jones)
Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea (Hayao Miyazaki)
Two Lovers (James Gray)
Up (Pete Docter)
Das Weiße Band (Michael Haneke)
World's Greatest Dad (Bobcat Goldthwait)
Yet to see: A Serious Man, Antichrist, Big Fan, Bright Star, Politist, adj., Stingray Sam, The Road, Un prophète, Avatar, Sugar.
I have a feeling one, maybe two, of those unseen films will make the top ten.
Saw World's Greatest Dad last night -- it's really something. I came over to this thread to recommend it as top ten material but you beat me to the punch.
I've never seen anything quite like it before in terms of tone -- a demented world, a little like something out of a Todd Solondz movie, except the writer/director actually loves his characters and gives them some dignity and intelligence. It's sweet and sour in an original way.
I wonder how much body hair removal was needed to make Robin Williams' nude scene at the end palatable.
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I've never seen anything quite like it before in terms of tone -- a demented world, a little like something out of a Todd Solondz movie, except the writer/director actually loves his characters and gives them some dignity and intelligence. It's sweet and sour in an original way.
I really want to see World's Greatest Dad, but I must say your mentioning Todd Solondz gives me tremendous pause. Happiness is one of the few cinematic experiences in my life that actually made me wish physical harm on the filmmaker.
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I've never seen anything quite like it before in terms of tone -- a demented world, a little like something out of a Todd Solondz movie, except the writer/director actually loves his characters and gives them some dignity and intelligence. It's sweet and sour in an original way.
I really want to see World's Greatest Dad, but I must say your mentioning Todd Solondz gives me tremendous pause. Happiness is one of the few cinematic experiences in my life that actually made me wish physical harm on the filmmaker.
I think crumbum's comment about what makes Bobcat a different filmmaker than Solondz is quite crucial in this case. (Note: I'm not a Solondz hater.) I would say that WGD is only Solondzesque in the sense that it traffics in the darker realms of comedy. I hope Bobcat continues to evolve -- WGD is about 10,000 times better than Sleeping Dogs Lie due to things like retaining the services of a good cinematographer and people who know how to act. He also managed to get a superb performance from Robin Williams. I recommend his DVD commentary, which he does while on pain pills following a surgical procedure.
Bobcat has said that his next film will be based on the album Schoolboys in Disgrace by the rock group The Kinks.
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I've never seen anything quite like it before in terms of tone -- a demented world, a little like something out of a Todd Solondz movie, except the writer/director actually loves his characters and gives them some dignity and intelligence. It's sweet and sour in an original way.
I really want to see World's Greatest Dad, but I must say your mentioning Todd Solondz gives me tremendous pause. Happiness is one of the few cinematic experiences in my life that actually made me wish physical harm on the filmmaker.
I think crumbum's comment about what makes Bobcat a different filmmaker than Solondz is quite crucial in this case. (Note: I'm not a Solondz hater.) I would say that WGD is only Solondzesque in the sense that it traffics in the darker realms of comedy. I hope Bobcat continues to evolve -- WGD is about 10,000 times better than Sleeping Dogs Lie due to things like retaining the services of a good cinematographer and people who know how to act. He also managed to get a superb performance from Robin Williams. I recommend his DVD commentary, which he does while on pain pills following a surgical procedure.
Bobcat has said that his next film will be based on the album Schoolboys in Disgrace by the rock group The Kinks.
Thanks Omar, that is indeed what I intended by the comment. I'm not much of a Solondz fan (I liked his last couple of movies only to the degree that I found the formal experimentation interesting) and the difference in the two filmmakers' temperaments is absolutely crucial to me.
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Bobcat has said that his next film will be based on the album Schoolboys in Disgrace by the rock group The Kinks.
Please tell me this is just a forerunner for the Preservation movie.
"And he plowed up the fields, and cut down the trees...for property speculationnnnnnnnnnn!"
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Speaking of Solondz, I just saw Welcome To The Dollhouse for the first time this weekend, and much to my surprise I actually liked it.
My girlfriend watched it with me - she had seen only Dollhouse, while I've seen every Solondz BUT Dollhouse. She was curious as to why I was so turned off by the rest of his work, since Dollhouse is so good and all. I summed it up by telling her that if Solondz made Dollhouse in 2010, Dawn Weiner really would have bashed her sister's face in with that hammer while she slept.
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Speaking of Solondz, I just saw Welcome To The Dollhouse for the first time this weekend, and much to my surprise I actually liked it.
My girlfriend watched it with me - she had seen only Dollhouse, while I've seen every Solondz BUT Dollhouse. She was curious as to why I was so turned off by the rest of his work, since Dollhouse is so good and all. I summed it up by telling her that if Solondz made Dollhouse in 2010, Dawn Weiner really would have bashed her sister's face in with that hammer while she slept.
I really love Welcome to the Dollhouse. Let's get some fish sticks and Hawaiian punch and have a party! (I love when her sister says, "We're having a party!" No one ever gets it when I say it, though)
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Still have a whole bunch of '09 films to see, but 35 Rhums just shot to my #1 spot.