Jake Gyllenhaal as Robert Graysmith in "Zodiac" (2007).
#20 / "Zodiac"
It makes sense that David Fincher would be the guy to take a shot at telling the definitive story of the Zodiac Killer and the panic he inspired, since Fincher's brain is wired in the same obsessive, meticulous way that serial killers' brains are. This is a movie that offers up an unbelievably dense tapestry of detail, and that slowly but surely makes the viewer feel as lost in the weight of those details as the investigators who tried to catch the Zodiac in the first place. His use of digital cameras, his attention to period accuracy, his choice of music, his casting choices... all of it adds up to the movie that, so far, represents the single best distillation of Fincher's gifts. The fact that it's a cracking good procedural on top of that is just a bonus. Ultimately, I love this film because it reaches past any intellectual part of my film critic brain and just plain works for me as a fetish piece, an incredible technical and thematic work that represents one of our most prickly film wizards at his peak". Source: www.hitfix.com
26) "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" (dir. Michel Gondry) - Higher on many lists than mine because it suffers from Jim Carrey Earnestness Syndrome. Some people buy Carrey here completely, but he sucks the energy out of the movie for me at nearly every turn. This may be Kate Winslet's best performance, though. Someday, people will be looking back at Winslet's resume and the idea that she won her Oscar for "The Reader" will be every bit as ridiculous as Al Pacino getting his for "Scent of a Woman" or Paul Newman only winning for "The Color of Money" or Martin Scorsese getting his for "The Departed" or the mere existence of Robert Benigni. Anyway, I often try thinking of which star I'd have cast opposite Winslet to make this one a true classic for me. I don't quite have the answer.
25) "Memento" (dir. Christopher Nolan) - Looking for your Director of the Aughts? Christopher Nolan seems like a good place to start. For the decade, Nolan received only one Oscar nomination, shared with brother Jonathan for this corkscrew of a burnout mystery-thriller. Is "Memento" all about the gimmickry? A lot, but not *all*. It's Guy Pearce and Joe Pantoliano who make "Memento" rewatchable, frontwards or backwards. They're so invested that you stop quibbling and take the journey.23) "Brokeback Mountain" (dir. Ang Lee) - Saddled from the beginning with the nom d'laziness "The gay cowboy movie," "Brokeback Mountain" never really got a chance to just be a movie. It was Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal trailblazing new frontiers for on-screen intimacy. Jake Gyllenhaal at "Brokeback Mountain" LA Premiere on 29th November, 2005.
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#20 / "Zodiac"
It makes sense that David Fincher would be the guy to take a shot at telling the definitive story of the Zodiac Killer and the panic he inspired, since Fincher's brain is wired in the same obsessive, meticulous way that serial killers' brains are. This is a movie that offers up an unbelievably dense tapestry of detail, and that slowly but surely makes the viewer feel as lost in the weight of those details as the investigators who tried to catch the Zodiac in the first place. His use of digital cameras, his attention to period accuracy, his choice of music, his casting choices... all of it adds up to the movie that, so far, represents the single best distillation of Fincher's gifts. The fact that it's a cracking good procedural on top of that is just a bonus. Ultimately, I love this film because it reaches past any intellectual part of my film critic brain and just plain works for me as a fetish piece, an incredible technical and thematic work that represents one of our most prickly film wizards at his peak". Source: www.hitfix.com
26) "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" (dir. Michel Gondry) - Higher on many lists than mine because it suffers from Jim Carrey Earnestness Syndrome. Some people buy Carrey here completely, but he sucks the energy out of the movie for me at nearly every turn. This may be Kate Winslet's best performance, though. Someday, people will be looking back at Winslet's resume and the idea that she won her Oscar for "The Reader" will be every bit as ridiculous as Al Pacino getting his for "Scent of a Woman" or Paul Newman only winning for "The Color of Money" or Martin Scorsese getting his for "The Departed" or the mere existence of Robert Benigni. Anyway, I often try thinking of which star I'd have cast opposite Winslet to make this one a true classic for me. I don't quite have the answer.
25) "Memento" (dir. Christopher Nolan) - Looking for your Director of the Aughts? Christopher Nolan seems like a good place to start. For the decade, Nolan received only one Oscar nomination, shared with brother Jonathan for this corkscrew of a burnout mystery-thriller. Is "Memento" all about the gimmickry? A lot, but not *all*. It's Guy Pearce and Joe Pantoliano who make "Memento" rewatchable, frontwards or backwards. They're so invested that you stop quibbling and take the journey.23) "Brokeback Mountain" (dir. Ang Lee) - Saddled from the beginning with the nom d'laziness "The gay cowboy movie," "Brokeback Mountain" never really got a chance to just be a movie. It was Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal trailblazing new frontiers for on-screen intimacy. Jake Gyllenhaal at "Brokeback Mountain" LA Premiere on 29th November, 2005.
It was Ang Lee following up "Hulk." It was the seemingly unstoppable Oscar frontrunner. And then it was the Oscar frontrunner that lost to the worst Best Picture choice in Oscar history. Someday, people will just be able to appreciate the sincere feelings behind this doomed love story, made additionally tragic after Ledger's passing. This was truly his best performance, even if Oscar came posthumously and for more flamboyant work. And Gyllenhaal is his equal. Beautiful score and cinematography as well, plus an understatedly lovely turn from Michelle Williams". Source: www.hitfix.com
8. "Atonement" (2007)
Strangely considered overrated, Joe Wright's adaptation of Ian McEwan's acclaimed novel is an intricately and beautifully structured epic that reveals more and more to the viewer during each subsequent screening.2. "Brokeback Mountain" (2005)
An even bigger achievement for Lee than "Crouching", "Brokeback" is one of the quintessential American love stories of our time. Every performance and moment is spot on. A true classic in every sense of the word.1. "The Dark Knight" (2008)
It isn't in vogue to put Christopher Nolan's blockbuster -- a sequel no less -- on the top of a best of the decade list, but my god is it a masterpiece. And we have HBO, at least in this pundit's case, to thank for it. Every time "Dark Knight" is on you can't turn away from the screen. Whether it's Ledger's career defining performance (which will still be lauded when we're all dead and gone), the groundbreaking score (by two composers of polar opposite styles mind you), the screenplay's subtle allegories to panic in a post-9/11 world or one strikingly powerful and original action sequence after another, Nolan has turned a "superhero movie" into art. And that, ladies and gentleman, is very, very, very hard thing to do. Source: www.hitfix.com
10 best films of 2000-2009. (In alphabetical order)
Amelie (2001)
Launching the lovely French star Audrey Tautou onto the world stage, Amelie is a sweet little French charmer, full of gorgeous, genuinely romantic, quirky touches that couldn't fail to melt the hardest heart.
Atonement (2007)
A beautiful yet tragic book made into a beautiful yet tragic film, Atonement is a visual joy, contrasting the gorgeous English countryside and glorious 1930s outfits with the bleak chaotic beaches of war-torn Dunkirk. The two leads, James McAvoy and Keira Knightley, are well matched, while the pivotal character of Briony is brilliantly, seamlessly played by three actresses: firstly as a naive child by Saoirse Ronan (currently starring in Peter Jackson's adaptation of The Lovely Bones), then as an older, somewhat wiser 18-year-old by Romola Garai, and, finally, by a quietly magnificent Vanessa Redgrave, still atoning for what she did. Complex, fragile and devastating in its impact, this spellbinding film is a love story for mature adults.Donnie Darko (2001)
Mind-bending stuff which introduced the world to the talents of Jake Gyllenhaal and his sister Maggie Gyllenhaal who also play siblings in the film. The best use of an '80s soundtrack since Breakfast Club.Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
I loved this film so much I want to pick it up and give it a big hug. An utterly original take on the romantic drama, starring the quirky but dazzling pairing of Kate Winslet and Jim Carrey.
Memento (2000)
It's hard to think back to how groundbreakingly mind-boggling the backwards timeline of Memento was. The plot, in which a man, suffering from short-term memory loss, uses notes and tattoos to hunt for the man he thinks killed his wife, seems simple enough, but it's all in the telling. These days it seems like every second film serves up a freaky non-linear storyline, just to add interest. It's a shame that Guy Pearce seems to have disappeared of late. Director Christopher Nolan went on to successfully resuscitate the Batman franchise with gravelly-voiced Christian Bale.
If we could go over 10, I'd also include: Letters from Iwo Jima (2007), City of God (2003), Brokeback Mountain (2005), Hotel Rwanda (2004), Children of Men (2006), WALL-E (2008), No Country for Old Men (2007), Ratatouille (2007), Moulin Rouge! (2001), The Dark Knight (2008), Almost Famous (2000), The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005), Lost in Translation (2003) and Shaun of the Dead (2004)". Source: www.stuff.co.nz
The Top Tens of 2009 - Scoreboard graphic. "Brothers" got Total Score: 11, Average vote: 5.5 Source: www.moviecitynews.com
Source URL: https://americanendeavor.blogspot.com/2009/12/best-films-of-2000-2009.html8. "Atonement" (2007)
Strangely considered overrated, Joe Wright's adaptation of Ian McEwan's acclaimed novel is an intricately and beautifully structured epic that reveals more and more to the viewer during each subsequent screening.2. "Brokeback Mountain" (2005)
An even bigger achievement for Lee than "Crouching", "Brokeback" is one of the quintessential American love stories of our time. Every performance and moment is spot on. A true classic in every sense of the word.1. "The Dark Knight" (2008)
It isn't in vogue to put Christopher Nolan's blockbuster -- a sequel no less -- on the top of a best of the decade list, but my god is it a masterpiece. And we have HBO, at least in this pundit's case, to thank for it. Every time "Dark Knight" is on you can't turn away from the screen. Whether it's Ledger's career defining performance (which will still be lauded when we're all dead and gone), the groundbreaking score (by two composers of polar opposite styles mind you), the screenplay's subtle allegories to panic in a post-9/11 world or one strikingly powerful and original action sequence after another, Nolan has turned a "superhero movie" into art. And that, ladies and gentleman, is very, very, very hard thing to do. Source: www.hitfix.com
10 best films of 2000-2009. (In alphabetical order)
Amelie (2001)
Launching the lovely French star Audrey Tautou onto the world stage, Amelie is a sweet little French charmer, full of gorgeous, genuinely romantic, quirky touches that couldn't fail to melt the hardest heart.
Atonement (2007)
A beautiful yet tragic book made into a beautiful yet tragic film, Atonement is a visual joy, contrasting the gorgeous English countryside and glorious 1930s outfits with the bleak chaotic beaches of war-torn Dunkirk. The two leads, James McAvoy and Keira Knightley, are well matched, while the pivotal character of Briony is brilliantly, seamlessly played by three actresses: firstly as a naive child by Saoirse Ronan (currently starring in Peter Jackson's adaptation of The Lovely Bones), then as an older, somewhat wiser 18-year-old by Romola Garai, and, finally, by a quietly magnificent Vanessa Redgrave, still atoning for what she did. Complex, fragile and devastating in its impact, this spellbinding film is a love story for mature adults.Donnie Darko (2001)
Mind-bending stuff which introduced the world to the talents of Jake Gyllenhaal and his sister Maggie Gyllenhaal who also play siblings in the film. The best use of an '80s soundtrack since Breakfast Club.Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
I loved this film so much I want to pick it up and give it a big hug. An utterly original take on the romantic drama, starring the quirky but dazzling pairing of Kate Winslet and Jim Carrey.
Memento (2000)
It's hard to think back to how groundbreakingly mind-boggling the backwards timeline of Memento was. The plot, in which a man, suffering from short-term memory loss, uses notes and tattoos to hunt for the man he thinks killed his wife, seems simple enough, but it's all in the telling. These days it seems like every second film serves up a freaky non-linear storyline, just to add interest. It's a shame that Guy Pearce seems to have disappeared of late. Director Christopher Nolan went on to successfully resuscitate the Batman franchise with gravelly-voiced Christian Bale.
If we could go over 10, I'd also include: Letters from Iwo Jima (2007), City of God (2003), Brokeback Mountain (2005), Hotel Rwanda (2004), Children of Men (2006), WALL-E (2008), No Country for Old Men (2007), Ratatouille (2007), Moulin Rouge! (2001), The Dark Knight (2008), Almost Famous (2000), The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005), Lost in Translation (2003) and Shaun of the Dead (2004)". Source: www.stuff.co.nz
The Top Tens of 2009 - Scoreboard graphic. "Brothers" got Total Score: 11, Average vote: 5.5 Source: www.moviecitynews.com
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