2000s List Discussion and Suggestions (Lists Project Vol. 2)

[knives]

I know there must have been at least one of those many coincidence-heavy interwoven narrative films this decade that I liked, but I can't think which it would be.

Can't fool us, zedz. We know it was Crash.

Hah! I've managed to avoid it thus far and hope to take that ignorance to my grave (so nobody better go all swapsie on me). I recall quite liking Barbara Albert's Free Radicals, but not so much that it's in contention or anything.

I'd say the mutliple narrative of the decade, not necessarily ever would be Code Unknown. Even though Haneke tones down severely his misanthropy (somebody laughs) and violence it's still a creeping dark look into how people interact.
Also I'll make my swapsie Boy A, my favorite of these coming of age stories that have been very popular this decade.

[reno dakota]

I know there must have been at least one of those many coincidence-heavy interwoven narrative films this decade that I liked, but I can't think which it would be.

Can't fool us, zedz. We know it was Crash.

Hah! I've managed to avoid it thus far and hope to take that ignorance to my grave (so nobody better go all swapsie on me). I recall quite liking Barbara Albert's Free Radicals, but not so much that it's in contention or anything.

I think my favorite coincidence-heavy interwoven narrative film of the decade would be Akin's The Edge of Heaven. As improbable as many of the events are (particularly the way in which the various threads of the story ultimately connect), I found myself completely absorbed in its intimate, character-driven moments. I'm not sure how high it will rank on my list, but it will be there.

I suppose we should talk about the white elephant of Revanche. I can't be the only one on the board to have seen it, and it would be humorous for another high profile new Criterion not to even make the bottom feeder. Barring I see thirty great films by January I'll have this on my list. (even if I was less then impressed with the first half)

I have seen Revanche (mentioned it a few pages back, in fact) and was rather blown away by it. I agree that the first half is not nearly as good as the second, but it does make the transition between the halves all the more affecting. If Criterion can get this one out by the end of the year, I think it could do well in the final vote.

[puxzkkx]

I'm urging all NOT to vote for the turgid, shallow "In the Mood for Love" that only skims over the same issues that Wong explored so deeply and tenderly in "Happy Together" a few years previous.

I want to FYC Maren Ade's chilling, tense and psychologically brutal "The Forest for the Trees". It, and its magnificent lead performance, will stick in your head for ages.

Also, please watch and remember Atef Hetata's gorgeously complex "The Closed Doors", magnificently controlled in its handling of a truckload of different themes, well-acted, discussable and thought-provoking.

Also... Ryuichi Hiroki's "Vibrator", Lucile Hadzihalilovic's "Innocence" and Iciar Bollain's "Take My Eyes"

[LQ]

As for my swapsie: Drama/Mex. Not that I've seen too many 2000s films, but Naranjo is the best new director I've encountered in years and this is my favorite film of the decade. He wears his Godard and Cassavetes on his sleeve and mixes it with machismo, sand, futbol, and alcohol. Puro mexicano. It's available on Netflix

I caught this last night. While I did enjoy it for everything you mentioned above I felt it was pretty thin and unoriginal as far as the intersecting plot threads went. But the style of the film was very arresting, and ultimately won me over. You hit the nail on the head by invoking Godard & Cassavetes. The look fit the location and the plot perfectly; the graininess of the image was a slick mixture of grit & sweat, and the jitteriness of the camera gave the film a highly charged atmosphere. It made for lively, visually pleasing entertainment but I don't think it'll be making my list even though I preferred it to, say, any of Iñárritu's films. But nonetheless I appreciate the recommendation.

[Lemmy Caution]

I'd put in a plug for stop-motion animation.

Blood Tea and Red String (2006), a stop-motion animation from Christiane Cegavske. I think it was nearly a decade in the making, and so it can be a little ragged in parts. But it is a heartfelt piece, with some nifty dream logic and certainly influenced by Svankmajer. I'm not sure if it will make my list, but it's on the back end for now.

Peter & The Wolf (2006) is also pretty impressive and entirely dialogue free. I really liked the look of this, with its dark, somewhat bleak tone.
The Dvd also contains some interesting making-of features, including creator Suzie Templeton describing some of the filmmaking process.

And I might as well also mention Wool 100%, which has a dream animation sequence in the middle. One of those quirky Japanese films of non-logic, it somewhat meanders after a while ans it seems that they didn't really know how to resolve things. But I loved the house encased in reclamation junk, so that it looks like it is built out of old Tv sets and assorted appliances.

[swo17]

Mysterious Skin - Best American film I've seen this decade. Araki has spent so much of his career making "irresponsible" gay fuck-you films, that when he takes on child molestation, the cynicism has already been exorcised. Absolute masterpiece. I see it as a gay response to Linklater (the two filmmakers adore each other's work).

Yes, and also, who would have thought that one of the best male performances of the decade would come from that dumbass kid from 3rd Rock from the Sun? Surely not I.

Glad you liked it, Gringo!

[zedz]

I'd say the mutliple narrative of the decade, not necessarily ever would be Code Unknown. Even though Haneke tones down severely his misanthropy (somebody laughs) and violence it's still a creeping dark look into how people interact.

Also I'll make my swapsie Boy A, my favorite of these coming of age stories that have been very popular this decade.

OK (does this replace Green Butchers or are you doubling up?). Now you owe me a Yanagimachi, since I've seen it. I was very impressed: great performances, a interesting take on the subject matter and play with audience empathy. The issue I had with it was that the scripting and motivation for the climactic change was utterly perfunctory, relying on a character who'd been written in expressly for that purpose (and for some even lazier compare-and-contrast thematics). This weakness was more annoying because I don't think it was even necessary to know the motivation or mechanism (let alone the cheap psychology) for this event. It was sort of inevitable, and the fact of the change was far more important for the main characters than its reason.

You're probably right about Code Unknown, though its a film I admire more for its bravura sequences than for the way they interconnect. My problem with most of these films is that I'm something of a plot slut (see above), and sloppy plotting / reliance on more than one outrageous coincidence per film throws me out of the movie. Plus, I've seen how this sort of thing can be done properly in The Terrorizers, where every interconnection is meticulously motivated after one random phone call.

[Michael Kerpan]

Now you owe me a Yanagimachi, since I've seen it.

Is there some 00s Yanagimachi film besides Who's Camus Anyway? ;~}

Liked it, but not sure it could make it onto MY top 50 list.

[knives]

I was contemplating Green Butchers, but decided on Boy A. You're probably right on the plot stuff, on both accounts, but I tend to just ignore plot which is probably why I like Lynch and Haneke.
Put Who's Camus Anyway? on the top of the queue.

[roujin]

Mysterious Skin - Best American film I've seen this decade. Araki has spent so much of his career making "irresponsible" gay fuck-you films, that when he takes on child molestation, the cynicism has already been exorcised. Absolute masterpiece. I see it as a gay response to Linklater (the two filmmakers adore each other's work).

I just saw this and while I agree with all the hyperbolic praise that you give it, I'm wondering about the Linklater link that you see. What do you mean by that?

[Michael]

GringoTex, you're so right about Mysterious Skin being an absolute masterpiece.

I'm still not sure which film to pick for swapsie but I will think of one.

A few solid faves of mine:

Come Undone / Presque Rien (Lifshitz) probably should make this swapsie
Elephant (Van Sant)
The New World (Malick)
Y Tu Mama Tambien (Cuaron)
Friday Night / Vendredi soir (Denis)
Mysterious Skin (Araki) swapsie?
Spirited Away (Miyazaki)
Before Sunset (Linklater)
Grizzly Man (Herzog)
Best in Show (Guest)
Broken Sky (Hernandez)
Femme Fatale (De Palma)
The Gleaners & I (Varda)
Bright Future (Kurosawa)
Tropical Malady (Weerasethakul)

And of course,

Mulholland Dr. and INLAND EMPIRE (Lynch)

[Zazou dans le Metro]

Also I'll make my swapsie Boy A, my favorite of these coming of age stories that have been very popular this decade.

Is this seriously in the running for a best of Decade nomination? At the risk of chiming ala Nothing (with whom I agree on a lot of matters regarding the malaise of new British film funding). I found this to be rather standard TV fare. In fact 20 years ago it would have struggled to fill one of the ' Play for Today' one off drama slots sorely missing in the schedules in this age. Films like this merely merely piggyback a tabloid led moral panic to gain acceptance at development level. In this case the release of the notorious child killers in the Bulger case. After that it's just a matter of plot line - how long the released killer's re-identity remains intact. I didn't see any 'coming of age' tensions in this at all... or are you just using shorthand pitching description ? If there are any serious advocates of this as anything other than issue led instant ( as in 'just add water' ) drama I would genuinely like to know your reasons.

[knives]

Also I'll make my swapsie Boy A, my favorite of these coming of age stories that have been very popular this decade.

Is this seriously in the running for a best of Decade nomination? At the risk of chiming ala Nothing (with whom I agree on a lot of matters regarding the malaise of new British film funding). I found this to be rather standard TV fare. In fact 20 years ago it would have struggled to fill one of the ' Play for Today' one off drama slots sorely missing in the schedules in this age. Films like this merely merely piggyback a tabloid led moral panic to gain acceptance at development level. In this case the release of the notorious child killers in the Bulger case. After that it's just a matter of plot line - how long the released killer's re-identity remains intact. I didn't see any 'coming of age' tensions in this at all... or are you just using shorthand pitching description ? If there are any serious advocates of this as anything other than issue led instant ( as in 'just add water' ) drama I would genuinely like to know your reasons.

I'm terrible at explaining these things, but this is genuinely one of my favorite this decade. The things you mention actually don't interest me all that much. I'm not even aware of the Bulger case or anything surrounding it. The thing that interests me,and this may be shallow, is how the character relates to his environment. The last act is absolutely lovely, to me. I'm not interested in the funding politics or whatever, but just what fills my screen. So maybe my enjoyment or standards are different from yours, but I see Boy A no sillier a suggestion then some of the other things put forth.

[GringoTex]

Some more swapsies:

Moolaade - My first Sembene film. He has such a deft, light, masterful touch. He can't be hurried or pressured to force anything, even when the subject is female mutilation. If he were in 1930s Hollywood, he would have made movies like Lubitsch.

The Baxter - Showalter has a crude mise-en-scene, but that's all you need when you have such a pitch perfect script and characterizations. He skirts a fine line between convention and absurdism and does so beautifully. Michelle Williams gives an outstanding performance, and Showalter gives the best Buster Keaton impersonation since Buster Keaton. The film owes a lot to Woody Allen and Hal Hartley, but probably outdoes them both.

[Murdoch]

The Baxter - Showalter has a crude mise-en-scene, but that's all you need when you have such a pitch perfect script and characterizations. He skirts a fine line between convention and absurdism and does so beautifully. Michelle Williams gives an outstanding performance, and Showalter gives the best Buster Keaton impersonation since Buster Keaton. The film owes a lot to Woody Allen and Hal Hartley, but probably outdoes them both.

I saw this on IFC a few weeks ago, and while it was an enjoyable, light comedy I can't say I saw anything special about it. I found Showalter - and most of the cast outside of Williams, Theroux, and Banks - to be incredibly unfunny. It was a decent attempt at an old Hollywood comedy, but it just fell flat for me.

[roujin]

The Baxter

huh, I guess I had this confused with The Ringer? Well, I guess I don't think domino is insane for praising it now

[Perkins Cobb]

I found Showalter - and most of the cast outside of Williams, Theroux, and Banks - to be incredibly unfunny. It was a decent attempt at an old Hollywood comedy, but it just fell flat for me.

Yep. I didn't want to jump all over The Baxter until somebody else did, since it has some passionate fans here, but I was cringing from beginning to end. Or from beginning to eject button, I should say.

[Michael]

Almodovar made most of his best films during the 2000s. Talk to Her, Bad Education, Volver: take your pick.

[knives]

Almodovar made most of his best films during the 2000s. Talk to Her, Bad Education, Volver: take your pick.

Bad Education may make mine. Probably will actually. That's where Almodovar went better then ever, or at least better then he's been in decades, for me.

[Michael]

I'd pick Bad Education too.

[puxzkkx]

Just saw Morvern Callar and will mos def vote for it!

[Michael]

I've decided. Presque Rien / Come Undone is my official swapsie. It's really more than just another French gay coming-of-age / love story. The atmospheric mood of a small beach town expressed in the film is really special and beautiful. More on that film.

[GringoTex]

I've decided. Presque Rien / Come Undone is my official swapsie. It's really more than just another French gay coming-of-age / love story. The atmospheric mood of a small beach town expressed in the film is really special and beautiful. More on that film.

Between this and Mysterious Skin, my Netflix is really thinking I'm gay.

btw- the following swapsies are not available on Netflix:

swo17 - You, the Living (Andersson)
carax09 – The Low Down (Thraves)
Dr Amicus – La Antena (Sapir)

So I can't guarantee I can watch these.

[Murdoch]

I couldn't get to You, the Living either, but swo said a few posts back that you could use any of the films he posted here as his swapsie. And since I've seen a few of these I'll add my own two cents on one of them:

Primer - One of the most interesting American independent films of this decade, the both frustrating and intriguing time-travel yarn really puts a unique spin on the sci-fi subgenre. However, this is a film that - once you figure out what is happening - loses most of its appeal and neither of the leads are good enough actors to carry the film, although they do a decent job with the material. Fans of Memento will enjoy it, and I'd offer it as a good double bill with that film.

I'm owed a few watched of my swapsie now - Ozon's Under the Sand - so hop to it!

[swo17]

btw- the following swapsies are not available on Netflix:

swo17 - You, the Living (Andersson)

As I've mentioned before, You, the Living is currently only available on DVD in R2, but I would really like people to make the effort to see this. If the R2 is not an option for you and you would like to see this, PM me.