Previously, I made a top 50 of the decade list. This entry is if they came up with a way to measure every film critic in America, every film buff and every academy award voter and they came up with some perfectly weighted system to measure the best films of the decade, here's what I would imagine the results would be. indicate which films are too high or low on this list. Also, I am not including more than one of any film series. AGAIN, THIS IS NOT IN ANY WAY A PERSONAL OPINION
1. Lord of the Rings: ROTK, Peter Jackson**-The definitive blockbuster of the decade. It had the trifecta of cultural buzz, box office success and critical success.
2. There Will be Blood, Paul Thomas Anderson *-Paul Thomas Anderson is a director with an increasingly more respected track record as his 90's films Boogie Nights and Magnolia have retroactively gained stature. "There Will Be Blood" has an Oscar-winning performance from Daniel Day-Lewis who's considered by critics to be a rare gem (especially since he rarely acts in movies). It's a film that touches on the themes of capitalism gone awry so it gets points for capturing the zitgiest as well as for having a bold, artistic vision.
3. City of God, Fernando Meirelles + -The '00s were a decade when international films had more of a fighting chance of entering the American mainstream if they were good enough. City of God was probably the most universally acknowledged as brilliant among those films that were widely seen by American audiences. It also has the gangster genre going for it, which is one that always gets critical acclaim.
4. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Michael Gondry-If the best-of-the decade retrospectives are to be believed, you would think that Eternal Sunshine and Sideways were the two front-runners for Best picture in the 2005 Oscar race rather than Aviator and Million Dollar Baby. My theories as to Eternal Sunshine's retroactive rise in popularity: 1) Broken storylines have defined the decade well and Eternal Sunshine had a fragmented storyline that didn't invalidate the story (i.e. Vanilla Sky, Mullholland Drive) but provided enough spin on the conventional love story 2) It merged technology with storytellling so it was kind of the next level of storytelling in that way 3) It was the most love storyesque of the three Charlie Kaufman films 4) Michael Gondry, Jim Carrey, Tom Wilkinson, Kate Winslet all have high Q ratings at the moment. Gondry was famous for music videos and short films and film students eat that s--- up
5. Brokeback Mountain, Ang Lee *-A love story between two guys that was slated for Oscar Gold. Has anything like that even come close to happening before? The performances in this film are already iconic.
6. Dark Knight, Christopher Nolan-It ignited a self-feeding euphoria of "Best film ever??!" talk when it ascended to #1 on the imdb. In its defense, it redefined and transcended the superhero film genre which is THE genre who's growth defined the decade. The film boasted sensational acting, sensational choreography, sensational sound-editing, a sensational score and a sensational adaptation making it primed to sweep the Oscars in a number of ways.
7. Pan's Labyrinth, Guillermo del Toro-In terms of unquestionably innovative, this is it. The idea of taking the war picture and telling it from the point-of-view from kids and it was one of the three Amigos' films: 3 Mexican filmmakers all had big Welcome to Hollywood hits in 2006: Pan's Labrynth, Gonzalu's Babel and Cuaron's aforementioned Children of Men.
It was ranked #1 by metacritic for films of the last 10 years.
8. Wall-E, Andrew Staunton-This film truly transcended the animated film genre. It was bold enough to forego dialogue for the movie's first act and bolder still in choosing to make it's love story about two robots. It had a message but didn't come off as preachy.
9. Mulholland Drive, David Lynch +-Lynch's film had the entire audience (including the critics) simultaneously scratching their heads at the end in confusion, but one of the supposed strengths of the film is that everyone went "Huh?" in union leading to one of the few moments of universality all decade long. It wasn't just the "Huh?" and the fact that people still couldn't figure it out but Lynch's disfigured narrative was engrossing enough that it remains one of Lynch's most widely-viewed and popular works.
10. Slumdog Millionaire, Danny Boyle **-An internationally shot film that was gritty and inspiring. Nary a bad review in sight and a near sweep at the Oscars. As it stands, the second most popular best picture winner behind LOTR. Boyle is a filmmaker for the 21st Century and this film's Best Picture award signifies a promising career that has rightfully blossomed since Trainspotting in 1996.
11. Gladiator, Ridley Scott **-Not particularly ambitious but the direction, performances, and overall production values of the picture propelled it to a best picture win. Whether a genre film like Gladiator ages well is partially dependent on the genre's level of saturation at the time of relief. Fortunately, this Roman sandals epic captured audience imaginations and created both word-of-mouth and cultural resonance.
12. Children of Men, Alfonso Cuaron **-Guys like Peter Travers at Rolling Stone and Jim Emerson at Rogerebert.com put this on their top ten list. EW listed it as one of 25 films that will remain a classic. I've seen it and I'm not sure why it was so great but it was unquestionably bold. Boldness of vision is a keyword I'm using a lot to describe what attracts critics to these films.
13. Almost Famous, Cameron Crowe-This didn't earn an Oscar nomination but retroactively it would have if critics were voting again. I've seen it pop up practically everywhere from the AV Club's list to Culture Snob to MSN Movie's list to name a few. I believe it's enhanced reputation over the years has come about because after this film, Cameron Crowe didn't make a good film again. Elizabethtown (which I personally liked) was panned for being a little too eager to tug at the heartstrings and Vanilla Sky was somewhat of a mess. The film has aged well and is the epitome of Crowe's personal touch.
14. Departed, Martin Scorsese **-Scorsesee tried hard to get an Oscar with every film he made this decade and this struck Gold. Whether it's ambitious as his two prior films, this was universally considered a crowd-pleaser. It was also a higher grossing movie than Aviator or GONY.
15. Hurt Locker, Kathyn Bighelow**-The 2000s were far more war-filled than the last two decades and the struggle to translate the conflicts from that war onto the movie screen were
16. Traffic, Steve Soderbergh*-Among films complex enough to be able to win big raves in the short-term and still feel like a work of art ten years later, this makes the list. Soderbergh won best director and Stephen Gaghan (director of Syriana) won best adapted screenplay and if they were to revote 10 years later, my bet is they would still win. Making an star-sprinkled ensemble piece that's more than the sum of its parts is rare to pull off (With so many stars appearing for narratively irrelevant cameos, I'd argue that even The Player falls short of this mark), but Traffic makes it work. Unfortunately, Soderbergh would do the exact opposite (making a movie for little reason other than the fact that high profile stars agreed to be in it) with Ocean's 12.
17. The Pianist, Roman Polanski*-Polanski's deeply personal film about art's power to heal tragedy scored some unexpected awards in the best picture race of 2002. It's a film with fairly universal praise.
18. Spiderman II, Sam Raimi- Before the Dark Knight, Spiderman II rewrote the rule book on sequels. Following up on a film that shattered records, Raimi and the filmmakers amplified the narrative by adding new angles (Spiderman's choice to be Spiderman) and revived the Superhero genre by keeping the action grounded in reality. It's a format that has been used in most of the superhero genres this decade. In short, it's been a big influence.
19. Letters from Iwo Jima, Clint Eastwood*-This has undoubtedly been the decade of Eastwood. His boldest directorial effort was telling a war story from the point of view from both sides. Whether this film changed the landscape of cinema like Unforgiven did or not, it won critics and audiences over. It was named the National Board of Review's best film of the year and made a lot of top ten lists.
20. No Country for Old Men, Joel and Ethan Coen **-It's not one that I particularly felt was worthy of best picture. Fractured endings are popular and the Coens, despite some inconsistency this decade, have overally come out of the aughts at the top of their game.
21. Lost in Translation, Sophia Coppola *-As Roger Ebert put it, this was a different kind of film that required the viewers to be patient and let love unfold at real-life pace. In a crowded year, the film eked out a best picture nomination and won a screenwriting Oscar for Sofia Coppolla
22. Memento, Christopher Nolan-The film's method of telling a story was a game changer at the time and the film holds up just as well now. Adapted from a short story by Nolan and his brother, this film was the world's first demonstration of Nolan's genius for telling a complex story and putting it to film. Curiously, Guy Pearce never got himself a slot on Christopher Nolan's preferred actor list for later movies
23. Avatar, James Cameron
24. Requiem for a Dream, Darren Aronofsky
25. Royal Tenenbaums, Wes Anderson
26. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Ang Lee *
27. Moulin Rouge!, Nicole Kidman
28. The Incredibles, Brad Bird
29. Far From Heaven, Todd Haynes
30. Chicago, Rob Marshall **
31. Little Miss Sunshine, Valerie Faris & Jonathan Dayton *
32. Grizzly Man, Warner Herzog
33. Pirates of the Carribean: Curse of the Black Pearl, Gore Verbinski
34. Munich, Stephen Spielberg *
35. Up in the Air, Jason Reitman *
36. Borat, Larry Charles
37. Juno, Jason Reitman *
38. Casino Royale, Martin Campbell
39. Fahrenheit 911, Michael Moore
40. Prestige, Christopher Nolan
41. In America, Jim Sheridan
42. Michael Clayton, Tony Gileroy *
43. Hotel Rwanda, Terry George
44. Gangs of New York, Martin Scorsese *
45. Gosford Park, Rob Altman *-Altman had some struggles finding audiences in the 80's and some of the 90's, but he has a strong base of admirers and with his last few films before his death in 2006, he further cemented his legacy as one of the legends of film. Godsford Park scored Altman his 5th Oscar nomination for director and was his 3rd film to be nominated for best picture.
46. 25th Hour, Spike Lee-25th Hour is making its way on some end of the year lists for the wrong reasons as far as I'm concerned: People are making too much of it as an allegory about 9/11 but some people (like Roger Ebert) just acknowledge that it's an excellent film
47. Mystic River, Clint Eastwood*- This film would have won the Oscar for Eastwood if that pesky sequel Lord of the Rings wasn't in the way. It was an adaptation of a Dennis Lehane novel that audiences found stirring, well-acted, and emotionally resonant. It basically marked the rebirth of Clint and might have been overshadowed since by Million Dollar Baby, Letters, Changeling and Gran Torino, I've seen it sneak up on a few lists.
48. Talk to Her, Pedro Almodovar+- This list needs more foreign films and Almodovar is hard to ignore with his success in Volver, Bad Education, and
49. Little Children, Todd Fields-Fields made a couple of melodramas in this film and In the Bedroom that critics found quite effective
50. 21 Grams, Alejandro Inarritu Gonzalu-A.I.G. had 3 successful films. Amores Perros was entirely in subtitles so it had the most indie cred. Babel was the most well-publicized film because it got the Oscar nom. 21 Grams was the happy balance in the middle.
+=Best Director nom without a best picture nom
*=Best Picture nom
**=Best picture winner
Also under consideration: Dreamgirls, Bill Condon; Into the Wild, Sean Penn; Up, Pete Doctor (animated); United 93, Paul Greengrass; Bourne Ultimatum, Paul Greengrass; Crash, Paul Haggis; King Kong, Peter Jackson; Constant Gardener, Fernando Meirelles; Ray, Taylor Hackford; Blind Side, John Lee Hancock; Milk, Gus van Sant; Match Point, Woody Allen; Amilie, Jean Pierre Juenet; Big Fish, Tim Burton; Blood Diamond, Ed Zwick
Also, by year:
2000: Gladiator, Almost Famous, Traffic, CTHD, Reqiuem for a Dream
2001: Mullholland Drive, Moulan Rouge, Royal Tannenbaums, Momento, Godsford Park, (Amelie)
2002: City of God, Pianist, Far From Heaven, Gangs of New York, Chicago, 25th Hour, Talk to Her
2003: Lord of the Rings, Lost in Translation, Pirates, Mystic River, 21 Grams, In America,(Big Fish)
2004: Eternal Sunshine, Sideways, Spiderman II, Incredibles, Fahrenheit 911, Hotel Rwanda, (Ray)
2005: Brokeback Mtn, Munich, Grizzly Man, (King Kong, Crash, Match Point, Constant Gardener)
2006: Departed, Children of Men, Pan's Labrynth, Letters from Iwo Jima, Casino Royale, Little Miss Sunshine, Borat, Prestige, Little Children (United 93, Blood Diamond, Dreamgirls))
2007: There Will be Blood, No Country, Michael Clayton, Juno (Into the Wild, Bourne Ultimatum)
2008: Dark Knight, Wall-E, Slumdog Millionaire (Milk)
2009: Hurt Locker, Avatar, Up in the Air, (Up, Blind Side)
Showing posts with label best of the decade. Show all posts
Showing posts with label best of the decade. Show all posts
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Top 50 films of the decade
My list:
1. City of God, Fernando Meirelles (02)- Alexandre Rodriguez, Leandro Firmino, Phellipe Haggensen
2. Gladiator, Ridley Scott (00) Russell Crowe, Djimon Hotsou, Joaquin Pheonix, Richard Harris, Connie Nielsen
3. Seabiscuit, Gary Ross (03) Tobey Maguire, Chris Cooper, Jeff Bridges, William H. Macy, Elizabeth Banks
4. Little Miss Sunshine, Valerie Harris and Johnothan Dayton (06) Alan Arkin, Toni Collette, Greg Kinnear, Paul Dano, Steve Carrell, Abigail Breslin
5. Cold Mountain, Anthony Minghellia (03) Jude Law, Nicole Kidman, Rene Zellweger, Brendan Gleasson, Jack White, Ethan Suplee, Giovanni Ribisi, Natalie Portman, Phillip Seymour Hoffman
6. Gangs of New York, Martin Scorsese (02) Leo DiCaprio, Brendan Gleason, Cameron Diaz, Daniel Day-Lewis, Liam Niesson, John C. Reilly
7. Gran Torino, Clint Eastwood (08) Clint Eastwood, Bee Vang, Auhney Hor
8. Wonderboys, Curtis Hanson (00) Michael Douglas, Tobey Maguire, Rob Downey Jr., Frances McDormand, Katie Homes, Rip Torn
9. Royal Tannenbaums, Wes Anderson (01) Ben Stiller, Luke Wilson, Gwenyth Paltrow, Gene Hackman, Owen Wilson, Danny Glover, Anjelica Huston, Bill Murray
10. Slumdog Millionaire, Danny Boyle (08) Dev Patel, Frida Pinto, Anil Kapoor
11. Blood Diamond, Ed Zwick (06) Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Connelly, Djimon Hotsou, Arnold Vosloo
12. Pirates of the Carribean, Gore Verbinski (03) Jonny Depp, Geoffery Rush, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightly, Jonothan Pryce, Jack Davenport
13. Departed, Martin Scorsesee (06) Leo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Alec Baldwin, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Vera Farminga, Ray Winstone
14. Life Aquatic, Wes Anderson (04) Bill Murray, Anjelica Huston, Owen Wilson, Cate Blanchett, Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum, Michael Gambon
15. New World, Terrence Malick (05)-Colin Farrell, Christian Bale, Quiriana Kilcher, Christopher Plummer, Noah Taylor
16. Last Samurai, Ed Zwick (03)-Tom Cruise, Ken Watanabe, Koyuki, Billy Connelly
17. 3:10 to Yuma, James Mangold (07)-Christian Bale, Russell Crowe, Ben Foster, Alan Tudyk, Gretchen Mol, Peter Fonda
18. Michael Clayton, Tony Gileroy (07)- George Clooney, Tilda Swinton, Tom Wilkinson, Sidney Pollack
19. Sideways, Alexander Payne (04) - Paul Giamatti, Thomas Haden Church, Virginia Madsen, Sandrah Oh
20. Road to Perdition, Sam Mendes (02)-Tom Hanks, Paul Newman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Jude Law, Daniel Craig, Tyler Hoechlin
21. The Aviator, Martin Scorsesee (04)-Leonardo DiCaprio, Alec Baldwin, Cate Blanchett, Kate Beckinsdale, John C Reilly, Ian Holm, Alan Alda, Gwen Stefani
22. Frost/Nixon, Ron Howard (08)- Frank Langella, Michael Sheen, Oliver Platt, Sam Rockwell, Kevin Bacon, Rebecca Hall, Tobey Jones
23. Catch Me If You Can, Stephen Spielberg (02) - Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, Christopher Walken, Martin Sheen, Amy Adams, Jennifer Garner
24. Almost Famous, Cameron Crowe (00) - Patrick Fugit, Frances McDormand, Zoe Deschannel, Kate Hudson, Jason Lee, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Jimmy Fallon
25. Wall-E, Andrew Staunton (08) - Ben Burtt, Sigourney Weaver, John Ratzenberger
26. Master and Commander, Paul and Chris Weicz (03) - Russell Crowe, Paul Bettany
27. X-Men 2, Bryan Singer (03) - Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellan, Famke Jameson, James Marsden, Anna Paquin, Halle Berry, Rebecca Rojmain, Brian Cox, Kelly Hu, Shawn Ashmore
28. Ghost World, Thora Birch (01)- Thora Birch, Scarlett Johannsen, Steve Buscemi, Bob Balaban, Illieana Douglas
29. Hollywoodland, Allan Coulter (05)-Ben Affleck, Dianne Lane, Adrian Brody, Robyn Tuney, Bob Hoskins
30. House of Sand and Fog, Vladim Perelman (03)-Jennifer Connelly, Ben Kinglsey, Ron Eldard, Shoreh Aghdoshloo, Johnothan Ahdout
31. About a Boy, Paul and Chris Weicz (02) - Hugh Grant, Rachel Weicz, Toni Collette, Nicholas Hoult
32. Up in the Air, Jason Reitman (09)- George Clooney, Vera Farminga, Anna Kendrick, Melanie Lynskey, Danny McBride, Amy Morton, Jason Bateman
33. Prairie Home Companion, Rob Altman (06)- Garrison Kiellor, Meryl Streep, Lilly Tomlin, Virginia Madsen, Tommy Lee Jones, Kevin Klein, Woody Harrelson, John C Reilly, Lindsay Lohan, Maya Rudolph
34. Oh Brother Where Art Thou, Joel and Ethan Coen (00)- George Clooney, Tim Blake Nelson, John Turturro, Holly Hunter, Stephen Root, John Goodman, Chris Thomas King
35. Anchorman, Adam McKay (04)- Will Ferrell, Paul Rudd, David Koechner, Steve Carrell, Chris Parnell, Christina Applegate, Vince Vaughn
36. Dreamgirls, Bill Condon (06)- Jamie Foxx, Beyoncee Knowles, Eddie Murphy, Anika Rose Cairo, Jennifer Hudson
37. Finding Nemo, Andrew Staunton (03)- Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Geoffery Rush
38. 25th Hour, Spike Lee (02)- Ed Norton, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Barry Pepper, Rosario Dawson, Brian Cox, Anna Paquin
39. Sunshine State, John Sayles (02)- Angela Bassett, Edie Falco, Mary Steenburgen, Timothy Hutton, Alan King, Jane Alexander, Clifton James, Amanda Wing, Miguel Ferrer
40. Manchurian Candidate, Johnothan Demme (04)- Denzel Washington, Meryl Streep, Liev Schreiber, Jon Voight, Vera Farminga, Kimberly Elise, Jeffrey Wright
41. Burn After Reading, Joel and Ethan Coen (08)- Brad Pitt, Frances McDormand, George Clooney, Tilda Swinton, John Malkovitch, J.K. Simmons, Richard Jenkins
42. Junebug, Phil Morrison (05)- Allesandro Nivola, Embeth Davitz, Amy Adams, Ben MacKenzie, Celia Weston
43. Doubt, John Patrick Shaney (08)- Meryl Streep, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, Viola Davis, Scott Wilson
44. Up, Peter Dreco (09)- Ed Asner, Christopher Plummer, Jordan Nagai
45. Great Debaters, Denzel Washington (08) - Denzel Washington, Forrest Whitaker, Denzel Whitaker, Nate Parker, Jurnee Smullett
46. Lost in Translation, Sophia Coppola (03) - Bill Murray, Scarlett Johannsen, Giovanni Ribisi, Anna Faris
47. Stephen Soderbergh, Good German (06) - George Clooney, Tobey MaGuire, Cate Blanchett, Leland Oser, Beau Bridges
48. Finding Neverland, Marc Forrester (04) - Jonny Depp, Kate Winslet, Freddy Highmore, Julie Christie, Dustin Hoffman, Radha Mitchell, McKenzie Crook
49. Be Kind Rewind, Michael Gondry (08) - Jack Black, Mos Def, Danny Glover, Muriel Hemmingway
50. A Mighty Wind, Chris Guest (03) - Michael McKean, Harry Shearer, Christopher Guest, Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Parker Posey, Bob Balaban, Jane Lynch, John Michael Higgins, Christopher Moynihan, Ed Begley Jr., Paul Dooley, Fred Willard
1. City of God, Fernando Meirelles (02)- Alexandre Rodriguez, Leandro Firmino, Phellipe Haggensen
2. Gladiator, Ridley Scott (00) Russell Crowe, Djimon Hotsou, Joaquin Pheonix, Richard Harris, Connie Nielsen
3. Seabiscuit, Gary Ross (03) Tobey Maguire, Chris Cooper, Jeff Bridges, William H. Macy, Elizabeth Banks
4. Little Miss Sunshine, Valerie Harris and Johnothan Dayton (06) Alan Arkin, Toni Collette, Greg Kinnear, Paul Dano, Steve Carrell, Abigail Breslin
5. Cold Mountain, Anthony Minghellia (03) Jude Law, Nicole Kidman, Rene Zellweger, Brendan Gleasson, Jack White, Ethan Suplee, Giovanni Ribisi, Natalie Portman, Phillip Seymour Hoffman
6. Gangs of New York, Martin Scorsese (02) Leo DiCaprio, Brendan Gleason, Cameron Diaz, Daniel Day-Lewis, Liam Niesson, John C. Reilly
7. Gran Torino, Clint Eastwood (08) Clint Eastwood, Bee Vang, Auhney Hor
8. Wonderboys, Curtis Hanson (00) Michael Douglas, Tobey Maguire, Rob Downey Jr., Frances McDormand, Katie Homes, Rip Torn
9. Royal Tannenbaums, Wes Anderson (01) Ben Stiller, Luke Wilson, Gwenyth Paltrow, Gene Hackman, Owen Wilson, Danny Glover, Anjelica Huston, Bill Murray
10. Slumdog Millionaire, Danny Boyle (08) Dev Patel, Frida Pinto, Anil Kapoor
11. Blood Diamond, Ed Zwick (06) Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Connelly, Djimon Hotsou, Arnold Vosloo
12. Pirates of the Carribean, Gore Verbinski (03) Jonny Depp, Geoffery Rush, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightly, Jonothan Pryce, Jack Davenport
13. Departed, Martin Scorsesee (06) Leo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Alec Baldwin, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Vera Farminga, Ray Winstone
14. Life Aquatic, Wes Anderson (04) Bill Murray, Anjelica Huston, Owen Wilson, Cate Blanchett, Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum, Michael Gambon
15. New World, Terrence Malick (05)-Colin Farrell, Christian Bale, Quiriana Kilcher, Christopher Plummer, Noah Taylor
16. Last Samurai, Ed Zwick (03)-Tom Cruise, Ken Watanabe, Koyuki, Billy Connelly
17. 3:10 to Yuma, James Mangold (07)-Christian Bale, Russell Crowe, Ben Foster, Alan Tudyk, Gretchen Mol, Peter Fonda
18. Michael Clayton, Tony Gileroy (07)- George Clooney, Tilda Swinton, Tom Wilkinson, Sidney Pollack
19. Sideways, Alexander Payne (04) - Paul Giamatti, Thomas Haden Church, Virginia Madsen, Sandrah Oh
20. Road to Perdition, Sam Mendes (02)-Tom Hanks, Paul Newman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Jude Law, Daniel Craig, Tyler Hoechlin
21. The Aviator, Martin Scorsesee (04)-Leonardo DiCaprio, Alec Baldwin, Cate Blanchett, Kate Beckinsdale, John C Reilly, Ian Holm, Alan Alda, Gwen Stefani
22. Frost/Nixon, Ron Howard (08)- Frank Langella, Michael Sheen, Oliver Platt, Sam Rockwell, Kevin Bacon, Rebecca Hall, Tobey Jones
23. Catch Me If You Can, Stephen Spielberg (02) - Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, Christopher Walken, Martin Sheen, Amy Adams, Jennifer Garner
24. Almost Famous, Cameron Crowe (00) - Patrick Fugit, Frances McDormand, Zoe Deschannel, Kate Hudson, Jason Lee, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Jimmy Fallon
25. Wall-E, Andrew Staunton (08) - Ben Burtt, Sigourney Weaver, John Ratzenberger
26. Master and Commander, Paul and Chris Weicz (03) - Russell Crowe, Paul Bettany
27. X-Men 2, Bryan Singer (03) - Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellan, Famke Jameson, James Marsden, Anna Paquin, Halle Berry, Rebecca Rojmain, Brian Cox, Kelly Hu, Shawn Ashmore
28. Ghost World, Thora Birch (01)- Thora Birch, Scarlett Johannsen, Steve Buscemi, Bob Balaban, Illieana Douglas
29. Hollywoodland, Allan Coulter (05)-Ben Affleck, Dianne Lane, Adrian Brody, Robyn Tuney, Bob Hoskins
30. House of Sand and Fog, Vladim Perelman (03)-Jennifer Connelly, Ben Kinglsey, Ron Eldard, Shoreh Aghdoshloo, Johnothan Ahdout
31. About a Boy, Paul and Chris Weicz (02) - Hugh Grant, Rachel Weicz, Toni Collette, Nicholas Hoult
32. Up in the Air, Jason Reitman (09)- George Clooney, Vera Farminga, Anna Kendrick, Melanie Lynskey, Danny McBride, Amy Morton, Jason Bateman
33. Prairie Home Companion, Rob Altman (06)- Garrison Kiellor, Meryl Streep, Lilly Tomlin, Virginia Madsen, Tommy Lee Jones, Kevin Klein, Woody Harrelson, John C Reilly, Lindsay Lohan, Maya Rudolph
34. Oh Brother Where Art Thou, Joel and Ethan Coen (00)- George Clooney, Tim Blake Nelson, John Turturro, Holly Hunter, Stephen Root, John Goodman, Chris Thomas King
35. Anchorman, Adam McKay (04)- Will Ferrell, Paul Rudd, David Koechner, Steve Carrell, Chris Parnell, Christina Applegate, Vince Vaughn
36. Dreamgirls, Bill Condon (06)- Jamie Foxx, Beyoncee Knowles, Eddie Murphy, Anika Rose Cairo, Jennifer Hudson
37. Finding Nemo, Andrew Staunton (03)- Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Geoffery Rush
38. 25th Hour, Spike Lee (02)- Ed Norton, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Barry Pepper, Rosario Dawson, Brian Cox, Anna Paquin
39. Sunshine State, John Sayles (02)- Angela Bassett, Edie Falco, Mary Steenburgen, Timothy Hutton, Alan King, Jane Alexander, Clifton James, Amanda Wing, Miguel Ferrer
40. Manchurian Candidate, Johnothan Demme (04)- Denzel Washington, Meryl Streep, Liev Schreiber, Jon Voight, Vera Farminga, Kimberly Elise, Jeffrey Wright
41. Burn After Reading, Joel and Ethan Coen (08)- Brad Pitt, Frances McDormand, George Clooney, Tilda Swinton, John Malkovitch, J.K. Simmons, Richard Jenkins
42. Junebug, Phil Morrison (05)- Allesandro Nivola, Embeth Davitz, Amy Adams, Ben MacKenzie, Celia Weston
43. Doubt, John Patrick Shaney (08)- Meryl Streep, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, Viola Davis, Scott Wilson
44. Up, Peter Dreco (09)- Ed Asner, Christopher Plummer, Jordan Nagai
45. Great Debaters, Denzel Washington (08) - Denzel Washington, Forrest Whitaker, Denzel Whitaker, Nate Parker, Jurnee Smullett
46. Lost in Translation, Sophia Coppola (03) - Bill Murray, Scarlett Johannsen, Giovanni Ribisi, Anna Faris
47. Stephen Soderbergh, Good German (06) - George Clooney, Tobey MaGuire, Cate Blanchett, Leland Oser, Beau Bridges
48. Finding Neverland, Marc Forrester (04) - Jonny Depp, Kate Winslet, Freddy Highmore, Julie Christie, Dustin Hoffman, Radha Mitchell, McKenzie Crook
49. Be Kind Rewind, Michael Gondry (08) - Jack Black, Mos Def, Danny Glover, Muriel Hemmingway
50. A Mighty Wind, Chris Guest (03) - Michael McKean, Harry Shearer, Christopher Guest, Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Parker Posey, Bob Balaban, Jane Lynch, John Michael Higgins, Christopher Moynihan, Ed Begley Jr., Paul Dooley, Fred Willard
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Top 40 TV shows of the decade
I'm sorry, I haven't been posting much. Recently, I started realizing that I have to be consistent with all the things I could do and that i can't slack off. I should be able to put at least 5 posts a month on here. So here's post #1.
40 Best TV shows of the decade. This is one of those things where I see a list somewhere else and feel a need to imitate it. In this case it was the AV Club's list followed by Alan Speinwall's list and EW's list.
Here's my opinion of what have been the most significant and well-received shows of the decade. It's not my opinion of what's been the best. Shows that came really late or really early in the decade don't count here.
1. Wire, HBO-I've never seen it but all the other lists say it's the best show of the decade and the best thing since sliced bread. And a show exploring the issues of drugs and Baltimore sounds a lot more intriguing than that other show I've never seen that's considered the best thing of the decade as well....
2. Sopranos, HBO-Never seen it. Doesn't even sound intriguing. Like that SNL parody points out, Sopranos is too critically loved to death for me to put it anywhere else
3. Deadwood, HBO-Just like MASH was based on a Rob Altman movie that turned the war genre upside down, I feel like Deadwood is the successor to Altman's 1971 masterpiece McCabe and Mrs. Miller. Kind of an improved version of that film.
4. Arrested Development, FOX-It is truly a blessing that now everyone loves AD. There are a number of great series this decade but no other show had such intricate layers of humor, a cast that we'd grow to love so much and root for in their future careers, and moments of warmth that are given with an ironic wink because we know that this temporary happy ending is going to fall apart so quickly.
5. Lost, ABC-Added points for influencing other shows such as Heroes and Flash Foward
6. Office, BBC-Doesn't compare with the American version in terms of quantity, but it rarely ever missed a note.
7. Colbert Report, Comedy Central-People criticized me for not adding the daily show if I'm adding this, but Colbert is playing a character so this is a fictional TV show.
8. Mad Men, AMC-Revisionist 60's series treats the decade as a pretty hellish place to live if you're female or a minority. Don and Peggy are really the only two characters that give me reason to anxiously tune into this series. They're the heart of the show. There's also the appeal of watching the masters of spin in action as they take on a client's mundane product and turn it into something appealling before your very eyes.
9. 24, Fox-It's just a matter of watching it yourself and seeing how intense it is in a way that spells quality.
10. The Office, NBC-The last season in which Michael Scott quit and started a rival company (among other things) shows that the writers room isn't one of laziness. When things get dull, the writers have the ability to take these very real characters and take them in unlikely directions. They pull it off in flying colors.
11. Tudors, Showtime-John Rhys-Meyers has long been a star in the making. It was quite an epiphany to whomever noticed that all the scandals in the Tudor Dynasty of England would make for a sexy cable series
12. Battlestar Gallactica, Sci-Fi-Created by a Star Trek scribe who was responsible for the intricacies of DS9 and who quit Voyager. Battlestar Gallactica took the possibilities that sci-fi had to offer and gave it to a larger audience.
13. Practice/Boston Legal, ABC-I've never seen the Practice but my understanding is BL spun off from the Practice, so I'll place them both here. Just like Aaron Sorkin, David E Kelly has a unique style that has it's appeal.
14. 30 Rock, NBC-If nothing else, when the show's characters start to get sloppy, 30 Rock never lets the brilliant level of dialogue slip. The show's jokes are so well-crafted that you want to stop and dissect them before moving onto the next one. The cast is excellent in Tracy Morgan, Jane Krakowski and Alec Baldwin and while some complained that in season 3, they became a little sloppier, the actors have always been excellent.
15. Damages, FX-I hear it's comparable to the Sopranos. Never watched it
16. Breaking Bad, AMC-The photography is amazing. The premise was a winner from the start and the show occurs at a pace that keeps you glued in through the whole hour. And that was before things started to get really interesting and really messy. The show keeps you at the very edge of what might be plausible for this man to descend to.
17. Desperate Housewives, ABC-There are a number of female-audience centered shows that have hit it big this decade and in distinguishing from fluff (i.e. Grey's Anatomy) verses something like Desperate Housewives, the latter doesn't aim to sensationalize. Desperate Housewives aims for quality.
18. Firefly, Fox-The western meets sci-fi had a cast of characters that enjoyed relatively good post-sitcom success and a fanbase that spurned a movie.
19. CSI, CBS- How many other shows have sparked people to choose their college major. CSI has coincided with a rise in forensics science majors all over the country. It's got good ratings largely because it's not dependent upon continuity but that's not necessarily a bad thing.
20. Futurama, Fox- I used to think Family Guy was the definitive animated show of the decade but I think it's declined in recent seasons and hurt its legacy, whereas Futurama won't yet have the opportunity to ruin its legacy until next season so it's a toss-up. Futurama is infectious. Groening has stated that as a kid who used to draw spaceships and futuristic contraptions in class and now he can't believe he's getting away with it. The fun of using the future as a playground for Greoning's wacky ideas is very easy to join in on.
21. House, Fox-I tended to think of House as the Ray of TV. Starring Jamie Foxx, Ray coasted to a best picture nomination solely on the basis of the lead actor's performance. Over time, House has developed a supporting cast to the point where it's not just about House and that's quite a strength that Hugh Laurie doesn't jsut overshadow the cast.
22. Pushing Daisies, ABC-The tone of the series was truly unique. It was a world you wanted to live in. It was also quite a creative achievement that although the pie maker had the power to solve all murder myteries in 60 seconds, no caper was ever that simple.
23. West Wing, NBC-Sorkin also had Studio 60 which was a fairly admirable failure
24. Everybody Loves Raymond, CBS- I feel like it's less pretentious and snotty than Curb Your Enthusiasm and if I had to pick a traditional tv sitcom that aged well into this new era of handheld camera comedies, it would be this one. I also didn't feel it started getting popular until halfway through its run as the ensemble chemistry started to gel
25. Flight of the Concords, HBO-Like Glee (which would've made the list if it came out a season or two earlier), the music is part of the fun.
26. Big Love, HBO-An intimate look at a corner of society that's certainly frowned upon.
27. Extras, HBO-Poignant and poetic, it certainly picked up steam in the second season with the true moral of the series: once you get fame, it's no picnic either, if you can't still be an artist
28. Friday Night Lights, NBC-I'm not much of a football fan (even fictional football) so I haven't watched this but I keep hearing it's quite good. It's placement on this list is a rough estimate. It's high on critical acclaim and low on cultural buzz.
29. Prison Break, FOX-Certainly one that I've been addicted to. When you think about it, Wentworth Miller ins't that charismatic of a lead but maybe that's kind of the point.
30. Family Guy, Fox-Unapologetically disjointed and unabashadly hillarious most of the time, Family Guy has its fans and detractors. One can't argue that their fans have been effective, since it's come back from the dead twice. Personally, I'm a fan
31. How I Met Your Mother, CBS-This decade's equivalent of Friends.
32. Six Feet Under, HBO-Don't get much HBO so I haven't seen it. In my first draft of this list, the omission of this drew the most protests.
33. Joan of Arcadia, CBS-Touched by an Angel meets the high school melodrama. For the first year, it was both acclaimed and popular and it featured two vets in Mary Steenburgen and Jason Mantenga doing good work.
34. Heroes, NBC-As far as I can remember, I don't remember sci-fi ever becoming so mainstream as when Heroes took over the waves it's first season. Comics often try to portray their heroes as ordinary Joes, but this really resonated in that respect.
35. Monk, USA-Inspired a number of copy-offs from USA. One criticism is it's a little too safe but it infused comedy into the murder mystery genre in a way that consistently worked week-in and week-out. The chemistry between Monk and Sharona followed by Monk and Natalie was also one of the best couples on TV.
36. My Name is Earl, Fox-Jamie Pressley, Nadine Vasquez, and Ethan Suplee had some of the most memorable supporting roles I can remember in this allegorical series of a lowlife trying to make good. There was something uplifting about this series that made it grow on me. One of the high points of NBC's schedule for a good four seasons.
37. Curb Your Enthusiasm, HBO-Although, I personally hate it
38. South Park, Comedy Central-It started in the 90's and while it's crude, it's become very relevant in pop culture the way the Simpsons was in the 90's. It is an equal-opportunity offender and offends in a way that shows that while its creators might be rediculously immature, they have their pulse on the zitgeist and know how to exploit it
39. Weeds, Showtime-It can be unpleasantly dark in the way American Beauty was, but it's earned accolades for a great cast and the show knows how to build suspense
40. SNL, NBC-It had it's good years and bad years and while the Bad Boys came out of the early 90's, there's the case to be made that there was a more solid chemistry to the cast in this decade
Let me see if I can make it all the way to 50:
41. Ugly Betty, ABC-Definitely a chick-flick of a TV show but one that has more cross-gender appeal than say, Sex in the City. Like Pushing Daisies it definitely has a unique surreal tone it establishes. It also is a celebration of multiculturalism and deals with issues of illegal immigration, preteen homosexuality and more without ever making an issue of any of those things.
42. Malcolm in the Middle, Fox-The family sitcom on crack. A precursor to shows like Grounded for Life, Everybody Hates Chris, The Bernie Mac Show (even though it only predates that show by 2 years, I believe) or American Dad
43. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, FX-A personal favorite of mine.
44. In Treatment, HBO-Gabriel Bryne stars as a shrink who needs one of his own. The series focuses on interactions between Bryne and four of his patients as well as the doctor with his own head doctor.
45. Veronica Mars, UPN-A Nancy Drewish series with heavier plots that was a perfect fit for UPN.
46. Studio 60, NBC-A very noble failure featuring some of the best actors assembled for one show. The show's biggest flaw was that the writing was too idiosynchratic and the characters all sounded alike, but the show had it a certain electricity to it that made it so effortlessly watchable at times.
40 Best TV shows of the decade. This is one of those things where I see a list somewhere else and feel a need to imitate it. In this case it was the AV Club's list followed by Alan Speinwall's list and EW's list.
Here's my opinion of what have been the most significant and well-received shows of the decade. It's not my opinion of what's been the best. Shows that came really late or really early in the decade don't count here.
1. Wire, HBO-I've never seen it but all the other lists say it's the best show of the decade and the best thing since sliced bread. And a show exploring the issues of drugs and Baltimore sounds a lot more intriguing than that other show I've never seen that's considered the best thing of the decade as well....
2. Sopranos, HBO-Never seen it. Doesn't even sound intriguing. Like that SNL parody points out, Sopranos is too critically loved to death for me to put it anywhere else
3. Deadwood, HBO-Just like MASH was based on a Rob Altman movie that turned the war genre upside down, I feel like Deadwood is the successor to Altman's 1971 masterpiece McCabe and Mrs. Miller. Kind of an improved version of that film.
4. Arrested Development, FOX-It is truly a blessing that now everyone loves AD. There are a number of great series this decade but no other show had such intricate layers of humor, a cast that we'd grow to love so much and root for in their future careers, and moments of warmth that are given with an ironic wink because we know that this temporary happy ending is going to fall apart so quickly.
5. Lost, ABC-Added points for influencing other shows such as Heroes and Flash Foward
6. Office, BBC-Doesn't compare with the American version in terms of quantity, but it rarely ever missed a note.
7. Colbert Report, Comedy Central-People criticized me for not adding the daily show if I'm adding this, but Colbert is playing a character so this is a fictional TV show.
8. Mad Men, AMC-Revisionist 60's series treats the decade as a pretty hellish place to live if you're female or a minority. Don and Peggy are really the only two characters that give me reason to anxiously tune into this series. They're the heart of the show. There's also the appeal of watching the masters of spin in action as they take on a client's mundane product and turn it into something appealling before your very eyes.
9. 24, Fox-It's just a matter of watching it yourself and seeing how intense it is in a way that spells quality.
10. The Office, NBC-The last season in which Michael Scott quit and started a rival company (among other things) shows that the writers room isn't one of laziness. When things get dull, the writers have the ability to take these very real characters and take them in unlikely directions. They pull it off in flying colors.
11. Tudors, Showtime-John Rhys-Meyers has long been a star in the making. It was quite an epiphany to whomever noticed that all the scandals in the Tudor Dynasty of England would make for a sexy cable series
12. Battlestar Gallactica, Sci-Fi-Created by a Star Trek scribe who was responsible for the intricacies of DS9 and who quit Voyager. Battlestar Gallactica took the possibilities that sci-fi had to offer and gave it to a larger audience.
13. Practice/Boston Legal, ABC-I've never seen the Practice but my understanding is BL spun off from the Practice, so I'll place them both here. Just like Aaron Sorkin, David E Kelly has a unique style that has it's appeal.
14. 30 Rock, NBC-If nothing else, when the show's characters start to get sloppy, 30 Rock never lets the brilliant level of dialogue slip. The show's jokes are so well-crafted that you want to stop and dissect them before moving onto the next one. The cast is excellent in Tracy Morgan, Jane Krakowski and Alec Baldwin and while some complained that in season 3, they became a little sloppier, the actors have always been excellent.
15. Damages, FX-I hear it's comparable to the Sopranos. Never watched it
16. Breaking Bad, AMC-The photography is amazing. The premise was a winner from the start and the show occurs at a pace that keeps you glued in through the whole hour. And that was before things started to get really interesting and really messy. The show keeps you at the very edge of what might be plausible for this man to descend to.
17. Desperate Housewives, ABC-There are a number of female-audience centered shows that have hit it big this decade and in distinguishing from fluff (i.e. Grey's Anatomy) verses something like Desperate Housewives, the latter doesn't aim to sensationalize. Desperate Housewives aims for quality.
18. Firefly, Fox-The western meets sci-fi had a cast of characters that enjoyed relatively good post-sitcom success and a fanbase that spurned a movie.
19. CSI, CBS- How many other shows have sparked people to choose their college major. CSI has coincided with a rise in forensics science majors all over the country. It's got good ratings largely because it's not dependent upon continuity but that's not necessarily a bad thing.
20. Futurama, Fox- I used to think Family Guy was the definitive animated show of the decade but I think it's declined in recent seasons and hurt its legacy, whereas Futurama won't yet have the opportunity to ruin its legacy until next season so it's a toss-up. Futurama is infectious. Groening has stated that as a kid who used to draw spaceships and futuristic contraptions in class and now he can't believe he's getting away with it. The fun of using the future as a playground for Greoning's wacky ideas is very easy to join in on.
21. House, Fox-I tended to think of House as the Ray of TV. Starring Jamie Foxx, Ray coasted to a best picture nomination solely on the basis of the lead actor's performance. Over time, House has developed a supporting cast to the point where it's not just about House and that's quite a strength that Hugh Laurie doesn't jsut overshadow the cast.
22. Pushing Daisies, ABC-The tone of the series was truly unique. It was a world you wanted to live in. It was also quite a creative achievement that although the pie maker had the power to solve all murder myteries in 60 seconds, no caper was ever that simple.
23. West Wing, NBC-Sorkin also had Studio 60 which was a fairly admirable failure
24. Everybody Loves Raymond, CBS- I feel like it's less pretentious and snotty than Curb Your Enthusiasm and if I had to pick a traditional tv sitcom that aged well into this new era of handheld camera comedies, it would be this one. I also didn't feel it started getting popular until halfway through its run as the ensemble chemistry started to gel
25. Flight of the Concords, HBO-Like Glee (which would've made the list if it came out a season or two earlier), the music is part of the fun.
26. Big Love, HBO-An intimate look at a corner of society that's certainly frowned upon.
27. Extras, HBO-Poignant and poetic, it certainly picked up steam in the second season with the true moral of the series: once you get fame, it's no picnic either, if you can't still be an artist
28. Friday Night Lights, NBC-I'm not much of a football fan (even fictional football) so I haven't watched this but I keep hearing it's quite good. It's placement on this list is a rough estimate. It's high on critical acclaim and low on cultural buzz.
29. Prison Break, FOX-Certainly one that I've been addicted to. When you think about it, Wentworth Miller ins't that charismatic of a lead but maybe that's kind of the point.
30. Family Guy, Fox-Unapologetically disjointed and unabashadly hillarious most of the time, Family Guy has its fans and detractors. One can't argue that their fans have been effective, since it's come back from the dead twice. Personally, I'm a fan
31. How I Met Your Mother, CBS-This decade's equivalent of Friends.
32. Six Feet Under, HBO-Don't get much HBO so I haven't seen it. In my first draft of this list, the omission of this drew the most protests.
33. Joan of Arcadia, CBS-Touched by an Angel meets the high school melodrama. For the first year, it was both acclaimed and popular and it featured two vets in Mary Steenburgen and Jason Mantenga doing good work.
34. Heroes, NBC-As far as I can remember, I don't remember sci-fi ever becoming so mainstream as when Heroes took over the waves it's first season. Comics often try to portray their heroes as ordinary Joes, but this really resonated in that respect.
35. Monk, USA-Inspired a number of copy-offs from USA. One criticism is it's a little too safe but it infused comedy into the murder mystery genre in a way that consistently worked week-in and week-out. The chemistry between Monk and Sharona followed by Monk and Natalie was also one of the best couples on TV.
36. My Name is Earl, Fox-Jamie Pressley, Nadine Vasquez, and Ethan Suplee had some of the most memorable supporting roles I can remember in this allegorical series of a lowlife trying to make good. There was something uplifting about this series that made it grow on me. One of the high points of NBC's schedule for a good four seasons.
37. Curb Your Enthusiasm, HBO-Although, I personally hate it
38. South Park, Comedy Central-It started in the 90's and while it's crude, it's become very relevant in pop culture the way the Simpsons was in the 90's. It is an equal-opportunity offender and offends in a way that shows that while its creators might be rediculously immature, they have their pulse on the zitgeist and know how to exploit it
39. Weeds, Showtime-It can be unpleasantly dark in the way American Beauty was, but it's earned accolades for a great cast and the show knows how to build suspense
40. SNL, NBC-It had it's good years and bad years and while the Bad Boys came out of the early 90's, there's the case to be made that there was a more solid chemistry to the cast in this decade
Let me see if I can make it all the way to 50:
41. Ugly Betty, ABC-Definitely a chick-flick of a TV show but one that has more cross-gender appeal than say, Sex in the City. Like Pushing Daisies it definitely has a unique surreal tone it establishes. It also is a celebration of multiculturalism and deals with issues of illegal immigration, preteen homosexuality and more without ever making an issue of any of those things.
42. Malcolm in the Middle, Fox-The family sitcom on crack. A precursor to shows like Grounded for Life, Everybody Hates Chris, The Bernie Mac Show (even though it only predates that show by 2 years, I believe) or American Dad
43. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, FX-A personal favorite of mine.
44. In Treatment, HBO-Gabriel Bryne stars as a shrink who needs one of his own. The series focuses on interactions between Bryne and four of his patients as well as the doctor with his own head doctor.
45. Veronica Mars, UPN-A Nancy Drewish series with heavier plots that was a perfect fit for UPN.
46. Studio 60, NBC-A very noble failure featuring some of the best actors assembled for one show. The show's biggest flaw was that the writing was too idiosynchratic and the characters all sounded alike, but the show had it a certain electricity to it that made it so effortlessly watchable at times.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)