Best of the Decade Marathon UpdateThe Bourne Ultimatum4th Complete ViewingBack when I reviewed
Mission: Impossible III, I was having such a good time I suggested it might be a better film than The Bourne Ultimatum.
Silly me.
This film is pure unfiltered adrenaline. Director Paul Greengrass has perfectly orchestrated a symphony of action. All the quiet pauses and crescendos are perfectly spaced. he pace of this film is constantly on overdrive, only going quiet a couple of times. Waterloo Station, the Madrid building fight and the NYC car chase are the three high points to be watched over and over again. However, until the final denouncement, there’s a rapid pulse to the entire film. Even the dramatics between Joan Allen and David Strathairn have rapid dramatic momentum.
This film won Oscars for Sound and Editing and boy does it deserve them. This is the best shaky cam action movie ever, because – unlike with Supremecy – Greengrass wisely gives us some long shots within the fighting. Rarely are we struggling to understand the geography, yet we never feel too far from all the excitement. As for the sound, I’ll just comment that the moment when Bourne leaps the balcony and crashes through the window is my favorite thing to listen to on my 5.1 Surround.
Sin City4th Complete Viewing, Watched individual Segments Many TimesThis is possibly Robert Rodriguez’s finest film, though I’m a bit partial to From Dusk Till Dawn. Sin City is one of the decade’s most unique creations. A visual thrill ride with larger than life characters played by a murderer’s row of Hollywood heavyweights. Rodriguez did right by adapting cinema to match Frank Miller’s comics rather than the other way around.
Like most people, I thought the first story – starring an Oscar-worthy Mickey Rourke - was the best, but the Clive Owen tale was my 2nd favorite. It’s the most frivolous, but also the most fun. I wish it had gone last, acting as a dessert following Bruce Willis’ heavy main course.
Sin City was a film geek’s dream project, but done with such great skill that even serious film critics had to take notice.
Monsters Inc.Many, Many ViewingsPixar. Not much I need to say here. I will explain that this one’s a little low for me because I find the comedy to be too manic at times. Ever notice how much screaming Mike and Sulley do? Very creative and I mean it as no slam on Pete Doctor when I say I’m simply a bigger fan of Andrew Stanton and Brad Bird. The door room chase is one of the all time best Pixar scenes.
Grindhouse4th Complete Viewing, Planet Terror: 5 Times Individually, Death Proof: 3 Times IndividuallyThe Friday night I saw Grindhouse was one of my absolute favorite nights at the theater. I certainly have complaints about the individual films, namely that both should have been done for Grindhouse budgets, and the total running time should have been reduced by 20-40min. Tarantino made the better film, and Kurt Russell is at his best. However, it’s too talky and I really hate the non-ending. Rodriguez made the better ‘Grindhouse’ movie and I loved how he aged the print with digital effects to make it look like an old 70’s exploitation flick. The Machete trailer rocked and ‘Thansgiving’ is the best thing Eli Roth’s ever done. It was a flawed experiment, but for a film lover like me a wonderful night of pure cinema. I own both DVD’s and like to watch them back-to-back with trailers. It’s too bad this didn’t catch on.
In Bruges4th ViewingI wasn’t sure what to expect with In Bruges. A Guy Ritchie film for those who hate Guy Ritchie? What I didn’t expect was the career–best performance from Colin Farrell. I’m a fan of Farrell, but I’m not kidding when I say this is his best, deepest and most surprising work. The screenplay by Martin McDonagh takes some unexpected turns and offers highly-quotable dialogue throughout. A real gem.
Bloody Sunday2nd ViewingThis wasn’t originally part of the marathon. I was watching it for other reasons, but the breakthrough film by Paul Greengrass captures some of the same thrilling magic of his later masterworks. I hate the film’s constant fades to black and the accents are so thick, you need to watch it with the subtitles on. It’s also the only time Greengrass attempts fictional drama with a couple of family scenes that go ‘clunk’. But the recreation of fateful events is wonderfully realized. While Greengrass would get better and more confident as a director, he’s still very effective. And unlike United 93, the film covers some of the fallout of the tragedy with some real gripping words about dark days to follow.
My Current List...
59. The Bourne Ultimatum
60.
204661.
The Lives of Others62.
Gangs of New York63.
Mission: Impossible III64. Sin City
65. Monsters Inc.
66.
The Royal Tenenbaums67.
Serenity68.
Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang69.
District 970.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban71.
Shaun of the Dead72.
Fantastic Mr. Fox73.
Almost Famous74.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone75. Grindhouse
76.
Into The Wild 77.
The Magdalene Sisters78. In Bruges
79.
Million Dollar Baby80.
Grizzly Man81.
Inglorious Basterds82.
The 40-Year-Old Virgin 83.
The Dark Knight 84.
The Last Kiss85. Bloody Sunday
86.
Moon87.
Sexy Beast88.
Cold Mountain89.
X-Men90.
Whale Rider91.
Super Size Me92.
Akeelah and the Bee93.
Interstella 5555 94.
The Departed95.
The Mothman Prophecies96.
Dirty Pretty Things 97.
O Brother, Where Art Thou? 98.
Better Luck Tomorrow99.
Hustle & Flow100.
Road to PerditionHighly Recommended, but dropped from the list...
Blade II,
Charlie's Angels,
Chicago,
Drumline,
Infernal Affairs Joint Security Area,
Lost in Translation,
The Pianist,
School of Rock,
Spider-Man 2,
Touching the Void,
Versus,
The Visitor,
X2: X-Men United,
ZoolanderComing Up soon...
Amelie
No Country For Old Men
North Country
[REC]