Re: Best Films of the 21st Century
 

Sorry, I know I'm not contributing much more than nominations, I'm just not that good at waxing lyrical about movies and art in general, but a couple of others that have both been mentioned, but nowhere near enough, are Downfall and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

Adaptation would be pressing for a spot on my list as well, and usually I'm wary of all that quirky [censored], but Kauffman's scripts are just so smart. BJM, Adaptation and ESotSM all examine fascinating issues in really clever ways, I think.

Re: Best Films of the 21st Century
 

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10. Mulholland Drive, David Lynch, 2001

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I really like movies that make me think, but after watching this the first time I was completely baffled. I watched it a 2nd time, trying to pick up hidden meanings, but was still confused. The third time I watched it, I simply watched it without trying to figure it out and it was much more enjoyable. It's like a dream of a dream, and something about it makes me happy. Indescribable.

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7. Lost in Translation , Sofia Coppola, 2003

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There seems to be 2 schools on this film - love it and hate it. I loved it. It got an immediate pass from me since it had Bill Murray, but I thought it was an awesome story that was wonderfully told.


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5. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, 2001
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, 2002
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, 2003, Peter Jackson

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I'm surprised at some of the hate these are getting. I thought "The Fellowship" was incredible, but I thought "Two Towers" turned Gimli into Gomer Pyle. I read the LOTR trilogy a long time ago, but Gimli was a tough SOB in all the books. Still, all together, I think these 3 movies are great.

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4. Sex and Lucia, Julio Medam, 2001

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I watched this the first time to see Paz Vega nekkid, but found it to be an excellent movie. Some great, unexpected twists put it on my "must see" list when recommending films to people.


I haven't seen the others you list, but I've queued them at Netflix. While I don't really subscribe to "Best Of" lists since individual tastes vary wildly, some 21st century movies I'd recommend are:

-Requiem For A Dream (mentioned more than a few times already)
-The Machinist (I'm a machinist, so there we are. Still, Christian Bale's transformation into a 100lb skeleton was shocking, and the story was just "out-there" enough for me to enjoy.)
-Rabbit-Proof Fence (A well-told tale of 3 native Aussies trying to find their kidnapped mother.)
-Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Everyone knows the synopsis for this one, yes? I really like Charlie Kaufmann screenplays.)
-Snatch (2000 release, but close enough for me. One of my favorite flicks.)

Re: Best Films of the 21st Century
 

There's an easy answer to your question: 99% of the public has been eating crap for so long it tastes like ice cream. When asked why the plastic vomit sold so well, Lenny Bruce replied, "Because the plastic dogsh*t sold so well."

More seriously, I think your reaction stems from a confusion between art and entertainment. I like entertainments, but they don't stick with me, don't make me think, don't trouble my thoughts or comfortable view of the world. The movies that mean the most to me stay with me for years after seeing them.

However, as an avid filmgoer and reader of film criticism and theory, I have also been influenced by writing about film, especially the work of philosopher Stanley Cavell who considers films (the screwball comedies of the '30s, women's melodramas, musicals) as serious philosophical investigations.

As far as not being able to watch movies with subtitles, that's just absurd.

Re: Best Films of the 21st Century
 

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I love Lost in Translation and find the LOTR flicks a hoax. Often terrifically, epicly flaccid, I can see these easily being surpassed in the future. I feel these are very much a wonder of their time, not of all time. These will last until someone comes up with the money to do them again. And that money will be less and less as technology advances. I don't think I've been more disappointed in films in the last 20 years than these, besides any Matrix but the first. I find it hard to imagine that these movies would be more well regarded if their author weren't so subject to cult-like worship and if the technology and scope of the flicks weren't so compelling at the time of their production. I'm confident time will bear me out that the direction in these films was unexceptional and the raves for them were very firmly fixed in their time.

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I disagree completely. The three movies are excellent. It is more than just technology. I don't think Peter Jackson's cult could have had that much impact, the love for the movies came from all over the place.
Also, I don't think that the fact that the books are famous is the reason that they are where they are. Many people hadn't heard of the story before. The trilogy was a hit everywhere. For example, it was a hit in LatinAmerica, and I don't think Tolkien was read that much in LatinAmerica (at least not before the epic success of the movies). Another thing to point out is that Harry Potter is a much more popular book and yet the movies don't get the critical acclaim that LOTR gets.
You may not like it, you have your reasons, but I have to disagree with the "time will tell". I think this will be remembered for many years. It will be shown to future generations alongside Star Wars as the best fantasy trilogies.

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The movie didn't get made in or for Latin America. There is always a place or culture that doesn't know another one's stories, but Lord of the Rings is something extremely well known in America, which is the major market the film was produced for and by.

The jokes about the films being a lot of walking hit on how slow the pacing can be. What is exceptional about this series of movies are its use of CGI to make an animated character with believable acting, the rescue of a much-loved series that has been botched in filmic versions before, and its scope and length. Some would argue that the film has the virtues of themes of its books, which resonate strongly with them. Fair enough. These don't seem to me to be lasting or unexceptional virtues.

The comparison to Star Wars is a good one, though. That's also a film and series with high points but much bungling, and the original is more exceptional now that it's a nostalgic tug from our childhoods than it was when it came out and was a simple, fun movie about cowboys in space.

At least the pacing was a little tighter.

Re: Best Films of the 21st Century
 

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Uhhhh...Aren't we kind of forgetting Crouching Tiger,Hidden Dragon and Spiderman 2? Sorry if they aren't boring or vapid, but they are great movies by any standards. Just in case you think I am some kind of action movie junkie, my favorite movie
is 'The Grapes of Wrath'.

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I did consider Crouching Tiger, but I think the Spiderman movies are just not very good.

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I liked the first one a lot, but was disappointed with the second one.

Re: Best Films of the 21st Century
 

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[ QUOTE ]
I did consider Crouching Tiger, but I think the Spiderman movies are just not very good.

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Okay. I have a serious question? I loved Spiderman 1 and 2 and thought they were terrific entertainment and well done (haven't seen 3 yet). I have avoided Crouching Tiger because I suspect strongly I wouldn't like it.

Why is it that film geeks, uh, er, I mean film afficianados pretty much hate on anything the general public likes and get hard ons for foreign obscurities that 99 out of 100 people would consider torture to sit through? Personally I hate foreign movies and subtitles in general because I can't focus on the visuals. I also think that movies of the past 10 or 20 years aren't all that great as a whole as whizbang special effects have taken over. I like the older stuff. Gimme the 40's through the 70's. I love classic Hollywood. But I do watch a wide variety of movies and like a lot of them. I turn a lot of them off very early on as well [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

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The average guy makes shows like Gimme a Break etc. ad nauseam big hits. The average person likes eating at McDonalds.

It's not that having different tastes makes you a snob.

If you are turned off to movies just because they have subtitles, you can't ascribe those faults to the movie or say people who are willing to deal with subtitles are snobs or out of sync with what god-fearing, decent Americans like, or whatever. It's not the films, and it's not the people who give them a fair chance. It's you.

Re: Best Films of the 21st Century
 

On LOTR and to Dom on Sex and Lucia:

I didn't really hate LOTR, just was very disappointed that it didn't come anywhere near to living up to my expectations according to reviews of almost everyone, pro or guy about the neighborhood. Maybe no movies could live up to that hype, but I felt the trilogy fell dramatically short. I honestly also found the acting not so hot in some places. The camera got stuffed in the face of that CGI guy a lot, and I felt some of his acting felt strained and trite. I was disappointed I was supposed to be so awestruck by it. It let me down.

On Sex and Lucia, I felt similarly unsurprised. It felt more like a bit of a limp mood piece with softcore in it to me.

Re: Best Films of the 21st Century
 

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I did consider Crouching Tiger, but I think the Spiderman movies are just not very good.

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Okay. I have a serious question? I loved Spiderman 1 and 2 and thought they were terrific entertainment and well done (haven't seen 3 yet). I have avoided Crouching Tiger because I suspect strongly I wouldn't like it.

Why is it that film geeks, uh, er, I mean film afficianados pretty much hate on anything the general public likes and get hard ons for foreign obscurities that 99 out of 100 people would consider torture to sit through? Personally I hate foreign movies and subtitles in general because I can't focus on the visuals. I also think that movies of the past 10 or 20 years aren't all that great as a whole as whizbang special effects have taken over. I like the older stuff. Gimme the 40's through the 70's. I love classic Hollywood. But I do watch a wide variety of movies and like a lot of them. I turn a lot of them off very early on as well [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

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I love a good Hollywood escapist film as much as the next guy! Give me Casino Royal, the Bourne movies, LOTR, Mission Impossible...I love them all..heck, I even enjoyed Armegeddon.

I just think the Spiderman movies are not very good, that's all. The first one was decent...the second one bored me to tears and I haven't seen the third one.

As for your subtitles/foreign film hate, I think Blarg castigated you better than I could. [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]

Re: Best Films of the 21st Century
 

If the second Spiderman bored you, the third will just make you angry. If I had driven my car to the theater that night, I would have left early, and I never leave early.

Re: Best Films of the 21st Century
 

Okay, a few more alternates:

Michael Haneke's Code Unknown, The Piano Teacher, and Hidden.

Bela Tarr's Wermeister Harmonies.

Todd Haynes's Far From Heaven.

Miyazaki's Spirited Away.

Guy Maddin's The Saddest Music in the World (If Lynch has been influenced by Maya Deren, then what's gotten into Maddin?)

Terrence Malick's The New World.

Michael Winterbottom's Tristram Shandy: A [censored](Are you really censoring "[censored]"?) and Bull Story.

For its story and acting, I like Patrice Leconte's Man on a Train but couldn't put it into the top ten.

Michael Mann's Collateral (What the hell, I love Mann's films, and it seems a homage of sorts to Le Samouri.)

My favorite as well is In the Mood for Love. (And I was disappointed with 2046, its "sequel.")

Re: Best Films of the 21st Century
 

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I feel I should contribute, but I genuinely haven't seen that many films from this century [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

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Dont start with Lost in Translation. Its borderline unwatchable and will turn you off to the rest of the list.

Re: Best Films of the 21st Century
 

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It's not the films, and it's not the people who give them a fair chance. It's you.

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I never said it wasn't me? I AM the one who hates subtitles and I AM the one who has an unenjoyable time trying to deal with movies that have them. I will spend the rest of my life very happily avoiding them. I just used "foreign" as an example. There are plenty of in english "artistic" films that I would consider pure torture to watch (ie Lost in Translation). On the other hand I have watched (at least partially) Larry the Cable Guy - Health Inspector 3 times in the past week or so. If you like really sophmoric humor it's one of the best ever!

Maybe I'm not the best judge [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Re: Best Films of the 21st Century
 

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The average guy makes shows like Gimme a Break etc. ad nauseam big hits

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Not any more. When 3 networks could cram whatever they wanted up your ass maybe. But now there are too many choices for the pure crap to survive. So the networks go cheap and shove a bunch of moronic reality TV up your ass instead. It's pure crap too but it's cost efficient for them now that they are losing share to hundred different alternatives.

Re: Best Films of the 21st Century
 

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There's a lot of great films already listed.
I'm kind of suprised I havent seen these 3 mentioned in this thread yet, that would be in my top 5:

Gladiator
Downfall (Untergang, Der)
The Pianist

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learn to read the [censored] thread then because i mentioned downfall in my post.

but i will not be a good contribution to the lounge

Re: Best Films of the 21st Century
 

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It's not the films, and it's not the people who give them a fair chance. It's you.

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I never said it wasn't me? I AM the one who hates subtitles and I AM the one who has an unenjoyable time trying to deal with movies that have them. I will spend the rest of my life very happily avoiding them. I just used "foreign" as an example. There are plenty of in english "artistic" films that I would consider pure torture to watch (ie Lost in Translation). On the other hand I have watched (at least partially) Larry the Cable Guy - Health Inspector 3 times in the past week or so. If you like really sophmoric humor it's one of the best ever!

Maybe I'm not the best judge [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

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Well, you were characterizing negatively people who give foreign films a shot, and implying they weren't somehow keeping it real in the fiel, right? Snobbery, whatever? I was just trying to get across that liking foreign flicks doesn't make you a snob or off kilter in some ways. There are plenty of junk foreign films(though having to hop the pond winnows a whole lot of them out), but plenty of good ones too. Looking for good foreign films is about being someone who wants to see lots of good movies, not someone who wants to lord it over someone that they, ahem, saw a movie. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] (It doesn't take a genius to go to Blockbuster, right?) There are good American films too. You just have a better chance of seeing more good films per year if look in more places. Not a high stakes gamble really. With Netflix or Blockbuster online rentals, I can just try again pretty much for free if I bump into a dud.

Re: Best Films of the 21st Century
 

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The average guy makes shows like Gimme a Break etc. ad nauseam big hits

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Not any more. When 3 networks could cram whatever they wanted up your ass maybe. But now there are too many choices for the pure crap to survive. So the networks go cheap and shove a bunch of moronic reality TV up your ass instead. It's pure crap too but it's cost efficient for them now that they are losing share to hundred different alternatives.

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Like you say, though, it's still crap. As a viewer, I couldn't care less how much it costs them, just that it's crap.

FWIW though, there's still plenty of crap drama and comedy around too.

Re: Best Films of the 21st Century
 

Another thumbs up for 'Rabbit-proof Fence'.

Re: Best Films of the 21st Century
 

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oldboy
sympathay for mr vengeance

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I think it's strange to list these but not Lady Vengeance. For me, it was the best of the three, even though I'll probably rewatch Oldboy more often. Have you seen Lady Vengeance, KKF (or anyone), and what did you think?

Re: Best Films of the 21st Century
 

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10. Match Point
9. Brick
8. Maria Full of Grace
7. Downfall
6. Lost in Translation
5. Before Sunset
4. Children of Men
3. Capturing the Friedmans
2. The Lives of Others
1. City of God

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Where have you been? I always enjoyed your posts on films. Actually, it was your avatar and vivid description that caused me to buy Le Samourai sight unseen. Good call on that one.

Re: Best Films of the 21st Century
 

No love for The Royal Tenenbaums here eh?

Re: Best Films of the 21st Century
 

My list would probably contain some combination of:

City of God
Before Sunset
The Royal Tenenbaums
Lost in Translation
Amelie
Brokeback Mountain
Memento
Amores Perros
40 Year Old Virgin
In The Mood For Love
2046
Spirted Away
Waking Life

Re: Best Films of the 21st Century
 

Okay. I have a serious question? I loved Spiderman 1 and 2 and thought they were terrific entertainment and well done (haven't seen 3 yet). I have avoided Crouching Tiger because I suspect strongly I wouldn't like it.

Why is it that film geeks, uh, er, I mean film afficianados pretty much hate on anything the general public likes and get hard ons for foreign obscurities that 99 out of 100 people would consider torture to sit through? Personally I hate foreign movies and subtitles in general because I can't focus on the visuals.

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I can only answer from my perspective, but the more familiar people get with something, the more they understand it. If you play tennis, you enjoy watching it more, because you understand what's going on.

Similarly, people familiar with film get different - and usually more - things from any particular movie than people who aren't so familiar with it. Most people don't care much about good acting (even if they care about the effects of it, without necessarily knowing that this is what they care about), so they aren't going to be able to get past, for example, the period dialogue of something like Double Indemnity to appreciate the performances (or the subtitles in Amelie to appreciate the humor).

Additionally, a lot of modern film builds on or references previous works, whether it's bluntly, like the pram scene in The Untouchables referencing Battleship Potemkin, or subtly, like the tone of Chasing Amy referencing John Hughes' 80's comedies. If you aren't familiar with the previous works, you won't get quite as much out of it.

FWIW, Crouching Tiger is a very visual film, and suffers less than most from forcing you to read subtitles than most foreign films. Take that with a grain of salt, because I have no problems with subtitles at all, but I think it's worth seeing if you like action films. Spiderman 3 isn't though - 1 and 2 were worthwhile, but 3 is a waste of space.

Re: Best Films of the 21st Century
 

[ QUOTE ]
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oldboy
sympathay for mr vengeance

[/ QUOTE ]
I think it's strange to list these but not Lady Vengeance. For me, it was the best of the three, even though I'll probably rewatch Oldboy more often. Have you seen Lady Vengeance, KKF (or anyone), and what did you think?

[/ QUOTE ]

I though Lady had problems with its pacing, and with her relationship with her daughter, especially in the last 30 minutes. Both because of this, and because the last act appeared to be on rails, inevitably proceeding from one point to another (yeah, sometimes this can be a good thing, but only if watching it do so is fun in itself), it didn't have a lot of the impact that Oldboy had for me. What made you prefer Lady to the others?

Re: Best Films of the 21st Century
 

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Let us know how you like Before Sunset...there's even a whole thread here on it somewhere!


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Yes the Before Sunrise DVD club thread. Well I just watched Sunset and really liked it a lot. It was a beautiful follow up to Sunrise.

Re: Best Films of the 21st Century
 

[ QUOTE ]
Similarly, people familiar with film get different - and usually more - things from any particular movie than people who aren't so familiar with it. Most people don't care much about good acting (even if they care about the effects of it, without necessarily knowing that this is what they care about), so they aren't going to be able to get past, for example, the period dialogue of something like Double Indemnity to appreciate the performances

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Familiar with film? I guess I don't understand what that means? I have seen literally 1000's and 1000's of movies. With that experience I know exactly what I like and what I don't. Double Indemnity is one of my personal all-time favorites specifically for the great dialog and spectacular performances. But it also has the mood and style perfect along with an intriguing and interesting story. I think when movies just go for mood and style they often don't have the story to carry it and that is when they lose me.

Re: Best Films of the 21st Century
 

Okay, I'll give this a go, but it's with the caveat that I haven't seen anywhere near the full breadth of films for this to be a confident list. So here goes:


10. Mulholland Drive - so beautiful and nutty, and Naomi Watts pulls all the stops out here to show her acting chops.

9. Before Sunset - Beautiful movie I only saw recently for the first time, but touching and real as hell.

8. Borat - Again, only recently seen, but funny as hell, and you'll probably go to hell for laughing at this.

7. About a Boy - There was a certain magic and reality in this tale about the friendship between a man and a boy, and how they both benefitted from knowing each other. The best Hugh Grant film, I think.

6. Children of Men - what a strange, depressing film that even though it shouldn't, it fills you with hope.

5. Batman Begins - great turn by Christian Bale as a very scary batman. Shame it sorta got too hollywood at the very end.

4. Kung Fu Hustle - wonderful comedy/action/surreal movie. Blistering entertainment, almost the perfect popcorn movie.
3. Gladiator - okay there's a slightly saggy section after the half-way point, but whenever MAximus or Commodus are on
screen, this is just dynamite.

2. City of God - lots already said about this, but sheer electric filmmaking through and through.

1. Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring
Whilst not as grand as the other two, this is the most magical and satisfying one for me. Just a perfect realisation of another world, time and place.

Re: Best Films of the 21st Century
 

[ QUOTE ]
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oldboy
sympathay for mr vengeance

[/ QUOTE ]
I think it's strange to list these but not Lady Vengeance. For me, it was the best of the three, even though I'll probably rewatch Oldboy more often. Have you seen Lady Vengeance, KKF (or anyone), and what did you think?

[/ QUOTE ]

I though Lady had problems with its pacing, and with her relationship with her daughter, especially in the last 30 minutes. Both because of this, and because the last act appeared to be on rails, inevitably proceeding from one point to another (yeah, sometimes this can be a good thing, but only if watching it do so is fun in itself), it didn't have a lot of the impact that Oldboy had for me. What made you prefer Lady to the others?

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Okay, there are two conflicting measures, I think. If someone is going to watch one of these, I would def suggest Oldboy. But Lady Vengeance, imo, is the best as a part of the trilogy; I watched all three in a row and it was very clear to see the culmination of themes, sometimes in surprising ways, and the way certain characters would echo others from the previous films. I wish I could remember some specifics for you; I'll have to watch it again sometime.

Re: Best Films of the 21st Century
 

Most of the films mentioned here are good, but I haven't noticed anyone mentioning the brilliant comedy Shaun of the Dead. I absolutely love this film. Great acting, pacing, soundtrack and pretty much everything else is top notch too.

Re: Best Films of the 21st Century
 

Off the top of my head, and in no particular order, here are the ones that stand out in my mind:

Best of Youth (2003) - Giordana, Italy
City of God (2002) - Mereilles/Lund, Brazil
Amores Perros (2000) - Innaritu, Mexico
Talk to Her (2002) - Almodóvar, Spain
Yes (2005) - Potter, U.K.
Kandahar (2001) - Makhmalbaf, Afghanistan
The New World (2005) - Malick, U.S.
The Widow of St. Pierre (2000) - Leconte, France
Water (2006) - Mehta, Canada/India
Cache (2005) - Haneke, France

*Almodóvar's Volver and the late Bergman's Saraband were wonderful too, but I tend to judge a film not against the work of others, but against the talent and abilities of the filmmakers themselves, so...ok...and although I think Miranda July's Me, You & Everyone We Know was a great feat in American indie filmmaking, like so many other American indie films, it just doesn't seem to be able to stand up tall in the world at large.

I also know there are quite a few films this decade I have yet to see. Such is life.


These are worth checking out too, but they're documentaries:

Ten Canoes (2006) - de Heer/Djigirr, Australia
Grizzly Man (2005) - Herzog, Germany

Re: Best Films of the 21st Century
 

I love Patrice Leconte and somehow I have not seen The Widow of St. Pierre...

Re: Best Films of the 21st Century
 

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I love Patrice Leconte and somehow I have not seen The Widow of St. Pierre...

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You should remedy that. When you get a chance.

Re: Best Films of the 21st Century
 

10 in no particular order - I assume films from 2001 forward are OK. I tried to add some comedies and movies I didn't see mentioned too much.

1. The 40-Year-Old Virgin - It's not the best movie of all time, but it is a great comedy.

2. Capturing the Friedmans - This documentary has to be seend to be believed. Deeply affecting.

3. Casino Royale - This is a perfect action flick. No deep meaning, but very entertaining.

4. Donnie Darko - This movie is so over-analyzed, that I think it is easy to forget that it is an extremely interesting movie.

5. In the Bedroom - Every acting performance in this movie is wonderful. A masterpiece.

6. An Inconvenient Truth - Certainly not the best example of film-making, but hard to dispute that this movie made a huge impact on the political debate in the U.S.

7. Pan's Labyrinth - I think this is a true work of art.

8. Ratatouille - One of the best animated movies I have seen. Since I have kids, that actually means something.

9. Sexy Beast - A powerhouse.

10. Sideways - Hysterically funny.

11. Cool Hand Luke - Easily the best movie of the 21st century.

Re: Best Films of the 21st Century
 

Pan's Labyrinth is a good one. I have mostly been watching older movies for quite a while now, along with the occasional injection of Hollywood action flicks to lighten the load, but I haven't been too impressed by anything so far this century that really stands out. PL does stand out. That and City of God and Lost in Translation.

Re: Best Films of the 21st Century
 

[ QUOTE ]
Pan's Labyrinth is a good one. I have mostly been watching older movies for quite a while now, along with the occasional injection of Hollywood action flicks to lighten the load, but I haven't been too impressed by anything so far this century that really stands out. PL does stand out. That and City of God and Lost in Translation.

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Some of what are considered to be the greatest films are first works by directors, but not many. I dig Lost in Translation and In the Bedroom, but can't say that they were really phenomenal. I hate to say that about In the Bedroom, but I think actor-turned-director Todd Field would forgive me. He did such a good job.

I do remember being absolutely exhilarated by the first 15 minutes of In the Bedroom, though, and feeling like I had just witnessed a scene that had been a real part of a vision, and not just something that came together last minute. But I think he's rather good at hiding his weaknesses, too, and that really came out in Little Children.

Re: Best Films of the 21st Century
 

[ QUOTE ]
Pan's Labyrinth is a good one. I have mostly been watching older movies for quite a while now, along with the occasional injection of Hollywood action flicks to lighten the load, but I haven't been too impressed by anything so far this century that really stands out. PL does stand out. That and City of God and Lost in Translation.

[/ QUOTE ]

And yet, despite being ballyhooed like crazy, "Pan's Labyrinth" is not appearing on many top ten lists. While the art direction was great and I personally found the film fascinating, its excessive cruelty and one dimensional characters seem to be a major turn off. It was moralizing while not being moral itself. And it was a great and rather pleasant surprise that Hollywood gave the best foreign film Oscar to "The Lives of Others" rather than "Pan's Labyrinth". "The Lives of Others" was almost the exact opposite of "Pan's Labyrinth": low key, multidimensional characters, and extremely moral.

Re: Best Films of the 21st Century
 

[ QUOTE ]
11. Cool Hand Luke - Easily the best movie of the 21st century.

[/ QUOTE ]

Did I miss a remake or is that 1967 Cool Hand Luke?

Either way I do agree.

Re: Best Films of the 21st Century
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
11. Cool Hand Luke - Easily the best movie of the 21st century.

[/ QUOTE ]

Did I miss a remake or is that 1967 Cool Hand Luke?

Either way I do agree.

[/ QUOTE ]

There was no remake and I'm wondering if this is some sort of inside joke because I have seen this happen about three times.

Re: Best Films of the 21st Century
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Pan's Labyrinth is a good one. I have mostly been watching older movies for quite a while now, along with the occasional injection of Hollywood action flicks to lighten the load, but I haven't been too impressed by anything so far this century that really stands out. PL does stand out. That and City of God and Lost in Translation.

[/ QUOTE ]

And yet, despite being ballyhooed like crazy, "Pan's Labyrinth" is not appearing on many top ten lists. While the art direction was great and I personally found the film fascinating, its excessive cruelty and one dimensional characters seem to be a major turn off. It was moralizing while not being moral itself. And it was a great and rather pleasant surprise that Hollywood gave the best foreign film Oscar to "The Lives of Others" rather than "Pan's Labyrinth". "The Lives of Others" was almost the exact opposite of "Pan's Labyrinth": low key, multidimensional characters and extremely moral.

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That's not the first time I've heard someone complain about the violence in Pan's Labyrinth. I guess people have a hard time getting past expectations of taste and really seeing why such a choice might be made.

Re: Best Films of the 21st Century
 

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11. Cool Hand Luke - Easily the best movie of the 21st century.

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Did I miss a remake or is that 1967 Cool Hand Luke?

Either way I do agree.

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There was no remake and I'm wondering if this is some sort of inside joke because I have seen this happen about three times.

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I don't understand the comments, and it most certainly is no joke. Cool Hand Luke is the best movie of the 21st century. I really don't know how to be any more clear.

Re: Best Films of the 21st Century
 

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11. Cool Hand Luke - Easily the best movie of the 21st century.

[/ QUOTE ]

Did I miss a remake or is that 1967 Cool Hand Luke?

Either way I do agree.

[/ QUOTE ]

There was no remake and I'm wondering if this is some sort of inside joke because I have seen this happen about three times.

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I don't understand the comments, and it most certainly is no joke. Cool Hand Luke is the best movie of the 21st century. I really don't know how to be any more clear.

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#11 LDO