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My Top 5:
1. Linda Linda Linda (2005, Yamashita)
2. Vibrator (2003, Hiroki)
3. Marie Antoinette (2006, Coppola)
4. Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001, Mitchell)
5. The Forest for the Trees (2003, Ade)

eljacko wrote:But the list of films I still haven't seen yet is criminal...

I hope nobody here is arrogant enough to think the same doesn't apply to them. There are hundreds of films mentioned to date that I need to see / want to see / ought to see, and more pile up with every list submitted. Then there are the great filmmakers of the 00s and their masterpieces that won't be uncovered / rediscovered / appreciated for years to come.

This is my bottom five. I'll add in some explanations in a little while (though some of these films are a little hazy in my memory).

46. En la Ciudad de Sylvia Jose Luis Guerin, 2007
47. Ratatouille Brad Bird, 2007
48. Woman is the Future of Man Hong Sang-Soo, 2004
49. Exiled Johnnie To, 2006
50. Ping Pong Fumihiko Sori, 2002

I am slightly paranoid that not enough people have had the chance to see Corneliu Porumboiu's wonderful Police, Adjective, and am seriously considering artificially placing it at #1 on my list in order to make up for this. I would urge any other fans of the film to do the same.

Oh, and by the way, zedz, don't read this post.

Police, Adjective is opening at the local theater over here in a couple of weeks. Too late for the list, but I'm looking forward to it.

swo17 wrote:I am slightly paranoid that not enough people have had the chance to see Corneliu Porumboiu's wonderful Police, Adjective, and am seriously considering artificially placing it at #1 on my list in order to make up for this. I would urge any other fans of the film to do the same.

Well at least for me I genuinely feel that it needs to sit at my #1 O:)

I am tempted to post a link to a 9-minute clip. It is my favorite single shot sequence in the past 20 years.

I'm squarely in the group who has far too many films they wanted to see for this project remaining with far too little time left. Luckily for me both Police, Adjective and The White Ribbon open here tomorrow so I'll have a chance to squeeze in last minute viewings of them amidst the marathon run of films I want to see this weekend before the deadline.

swo17 wrote:I am slightly paranoid that not enough people have had the chance to see Corneliu Porumboiu's wonderful Police, Adjective, and am seriously considering artificially placing it at #1 on my list in order to make up for this. I would urge any other fans of the film to do the same.

Unfortunately most of us won't be able to see this until it gets some sort of general release. I am going to go with The Death of Mr Lazarescu as the representative Romanian entry; Porumboiu's 12:08 was also pretty good, but not quite Top 50 material IMHO. 4 Months, 3 Weeks..., on the other hand, seems to have been praised excessively for its 'hard-hitting' subject matter, but was really no better cinematically than sackfuls of European social realist pictures.

zedz wrote:

artfilmfan wrote:My list would have these five at the top:

1. In the Mood for Love
2. Tokyo.Sora (Hiroshi Ishikawa)
3. Take Care of My Cat
4. Camel(s) (Park Ki-Yong)
5. Turning Gates

As far as I recall, this is the first mention of Camel(s), which made my list last time but got bumped off this go-round. Maybe if I'd had a chance to see it again it would have clung on. Is there a decent (subtitled?) DVD release of the film?

The Korean release that I bought a few years ago from YesAsia has English subtitles.

swo17 wrote:I am slightly paranoid that not enough people have had the chance to see Corneliu Porumboiu's wonderful Police, Adjective, and am seriously considering artificially placing it at #1 on my list in order to make up for this. I would urge any other fans of the film to do the same.

Oh, and by the way, zedz, don't read this post.

Now you really should have put that bit at the top.

Don't be too concerned about Police, Adjective. I'm betting there are dozens of films that people will be kicking themselves for not having seen for years to come, and if we hold the train for all of them we'll never leave the station. As of right now probably as few people submitting lists have seen Police, Adjective as have seen Le Pont des Arts, or Los Muertos, or any number of horribly disadvantaged films. Just add them to the pile of horribly disadvantaged films from the 90s, or the 80s, or the 30s that we might never catch up with.

True, though the severe disadvantage in this case happens to stem from the fact that the film is only now starting to see a semi-wide release in theaters (in the U.S., and so, I assume, the world), with a DVD release still probably several months away. In six months or so, I'm guessing that most everyone interested in seeing it now will have had a chance to. Though of course, I suppose the same could be said for Colossal Youth, and you've already nixed extending the deadline until Criterion releases that. [-X

swo17 wrote:True, though the severe disadvantage in this case happens to stem from the fact that the film is only now starting to see a semi-wide release in theaters (in the U.S., and so, I assume, the world), with a DVD release still probably several months away. In six months or so, I'm guessing that most everyone interested in seeing it now will have had a chance to. Though of course, I suppose the same could be said for Colossal Youth, and you've already nixed extending the deadline until Criterion releases that. [-X

If the project says on its current course, we will be compiling the 2000s list again in 2014 (right?). That should give us time to see Colossal Youth, Police, Adjective, and countless other hard-to-find and horribly disadvantaged films--and plenty of time to cheerlead on their behalf. And, really, what fun would it be to have nothing left to discover before the next round?

As per usual, my number fifty slot goes to a bit of a wildcard gut affection title. This time, how could it be anything other than:
50 The Room (Tommy Wiseau)

NOT TOO LATE TO PM ZEDZ AND HAVE IT ADDED TO YOUR LIST

domino harvey wrote:As per usual, my number fifty slot goes to a bit of a wildcard gut affection title. This time, how could it be anything other than:
50 The Room (Tommy Wiseau)

NOT TOO LATE TO PM ZEDZ AND HAVE IT ADDED TO YOUR LIST

cheep cheep cheep cheep cheep cheep

I just realized that Amazon UK sells Le Pont des Arts at a reasonable price. How did I not know this before!! It would be too late by the time the DVD arrives

Even though it would be too late, should I be getting Le monde vivant or Tout les nuits as well? I wonder if they are anywhere near zedz' top 50.

franco wrote:I wonder if they are anywhere near zedz' top 50.

Rumor has it that zedz has a 300-way tie for 45th on his own personal list.
So they might be in there.

A film I haven't seen mentioned here (or anywhere, actually) but which will place highly on my list is Mike Akel's Chalk (2006). It was recommended to me by a friend/former teacher, and going into it cold I was convinced that it was an actual documentary until a brief dream sequence. It's like Christopher Guest meets the UK Office, only focusing on American high school teachers and probably a tad more realistic. Teaching is a subject that interests me, so I've seen an inordinate number of teacher films, but I've remained sorely disappointed in them all, from Dead Poet's Society to Entre les murs, until now. It's warm, sharply observed, and unsentimental, not to mention hilarious, and hey, it's streaming on Netflix.

I haven't seen it but have heard good things from some of my colleagues. The best teaching films remain the Blackboard Jungle and High School High-- more truth in the parody of this one than the films it mocks

Really surprised by how much I enjoyed The Producers. Very interesting, tongue-in-cheek mise-en-scene that both conforms to and subverts the style of 40s and 50s musicals - from the colours to the staging to the editing techniques to the camera angles used. Some very game performances - namely from Lane, Beach and Bart - and some rather misjudged ones - from Ferrell, Broderick and Thurman - make it a mixed bag, but ultimately the creativity of the direction and the impressively elaborate staging make it a winner.

Did Liza Minnelli play the "ugly chorus girl" in the 'accountants' sequence? She's not credited on IMDb or in the credits but I really think it was her.

In other news, I am very happy to have just discovered that Happiness of the Katakuris is a 2001 release and thus qualifies (I for some reason thought it was a late 90s film). Although I haven't seen it in a long time, I do remember thinking very fondly of it. I am a big fan of goofball films and not a big fan of musicals, and so the combination of the two worked out quite nicely for me. There was also that Richard Sagawa character that makes the film oh so nice. This is a movie that will definitely be making my list.

My Picks For The Decade (One Per Director)

1. Dogville (Lars von Trier)
After seeing Antichrist, it was difficult to decide which Lars von Trier film to pick for this list. Dogville is a film that is so brilliant and disturbing that it provokes new thoughts and emotions after each viewing. Stylistically, von Trier creates a landscape that makes his characters vulnerable and translucent; an element that makes this film so incredibly complex.

2. Mulholland Dr. (David Lynch)
David Lynch's Mulholland Dr. is one of the greatest films ever made. It is easy to argue over details and plot when it comes to Lynch, but that isn't his intent as a filmmaker. The most difficult part of viewing his films is allowing yourself to be completely open-minded. Loosely quoting Roger Ebert, it is important to view a Lynch film in the same way as you experience a dream. Not everything makes sense, it isn't supposed to, his films are about "feeling" emotions that are usually only contained in R.E.M.

3. There Will Be Blood (Paul Thomas Anderson)
I don't think many people will argue about how brilliant There Will Be Blood is. Not only did Paul Thomas Anderson create a masterpiece, he drew out one of the best acting performances in film history.

4. Synecdoche, New York (Charlie Kaufman)
I don't know why Charlie Kaufman waited so long to direct his first film. Synecdoche is a lot like watching the existential confession of a very brilliant mind; very Camus-esque. Wandering around the world he creates is an experience like no other; getting lost in the hopelessness is exhilarating.

5. The Fountain (Darren Aronofsky)
Out of every movie, I have probably watched The Fountain more times than any other. The chemical reactions on film and the repressed usage of CGI for the beautiful visuals makes this film timeless. It is a love story that is gut wrenching and incredibly powerful in its honesty.

6. Y Tu Mamá También (Alfonso Cuarón)
The acting, the direction, the story...everything. This film takes you on an adventure that you will never forget and is brutally honest in its treatment of adolescent sexuality and "growing up" in general.

7. No Country For Old Men (Joel & Ethan Coen)
As far as I know, the Coen Brothers can do no wrong. Every film they make has a special characteristic that makes it amazing. No Country For Old Men is, in many ways, a culmination of their previous films and thematic elements into a work that boasts their genius.

8. Inglorious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino)
I almost felt bad for adding so many recent film (feeling like I left out others), however, it seems as though many directors had a great 10 years. In Tarantino's case, he created his best film yet (Pulp Fiction being a very close second). What was so surprising is how quickly the film was shot. Even though he took a long time with the script, the actual film did not seem rushed. Instead, Inglorious Basterds was one of the most refreshing and hilarious films I have seen in a long time. Seeing it in the theater was a great experience, and I hear that seeing it on a TV doesn't do it the same justice (big surprise).

9. Grizzly Man (Werner Herzog)
Werner Herzog is a master. All of his films share a same sort of sly wit that can be both dark and quirky. Grizzly Man was not so much humorous as it was extremely honest and well put together. Herzog's trademark isn't necessarily floating over each frame as much as it is over the entire project. Considering the eccentricity of the central character, it would be easy for any other director to take advantage of the archive footage and sometimes ridiculous nature of Timothy Treadwell. The amount of honesty and compassion shown for Herzog's subject is reason enough to respect the hell out of him.

10. Irréversible (Gaspar Noé)
I have never seen a film quite like this one.


(Films 11-25 In No Order)


Lake Of Fire (Tony Kaye)

The Assassination Of Jesse James (Andrew Dominik)

The Royal Tenenbaums (Wes Anderson)

Zodiac (David Fincher)

City Of God (Fernando Meirelles)

Bug (William Friedkin)

25th Hour (Spike Lee)

Vanilla Sky (Cameron Crowe)

Traffic (Steven Soderbergh)

Funny Games (U.S.) (Michael Haneke)

Shaun Of The Dead (Edgar Wright)

The Diving Bell And The Butterfly (Julian Schnabel)

A History Of Violence (David Cronenberg)

Limits Of Control (Jim Jarmusch)

Capote (Bennett Miller)

moviscop wrote:My Picks For The Decade (One Per Director)

It must be fascinating to compile the overall results. I'm in the final stages of compiling my top 50 list, and only one of moviscop's top 25 is even in the running. The variety that zedz is seeing must be bewildering.

I just wish my number one pick were better known by being more widely available, then I could have designated it as a swapsie. Though on the other hand, like Godard's Contempt, it is one of those films I love so much that I may be upset reading negative criticism of it (as I think it could easily polarise/disgust/annoy/bore/all of the above an audience, especially an unprepared one) so perhaps it is better that it remains obscure!

I think a theme of many of the films I have nominated seems to be that they present superficially simplistic (even naive) 'stories' with an opaque and almost non-existent narrative (strangely the strongest narrative led piece in my top ten is a documentary!), yet manage to provide seemingly inexhaustable stimulation, revealing new facets on every viewing.

The difference with my obscure number one choice is that the vague hints at a narrative seems almost completely absurdist, based in language and emotional connection rather than attempting a logical coherence, which helps to remove the last barrier to pure contemplation of the disparate material contained within.

fiddlesticks wrote:The variety that zedz is seeing must be bewildering.

Zedz is seeing a lot of great films. Also, I'm curious as to which film from my list was included in yours. Apparently only one.