by Jonathan Fuhrman | 12:50 pm, December 4th, 2009
I have a fun little project for you. Why don’t you try condensing 10 years of movies you love into 1 column? Go on, I dare you. In the meantime, here’s my list for you to dwell on and inspire you. Now to be clear, this is not my list of what I think are the 10 best movies of the decade. You can look to Roger Ebert and his brethren of critics to inundate you with such lists between now and the end of the year. Instead, this is a list of the movies that I know I will still be watching and re-watching 10 and 20 years from now whenever they show up on cable. Oh wait, apparently cable TV won’t exist anymore in 10 years, so let’s just say these are the 10 movies that I will beam directly into my brain when I want some 00’s nostalgia and just want to be entertained and captivated by a movie. So here we go.
I have a fun little project for you. Why don’t you try condensing 10 years of movies you love into 1 column? Go on, I dare you. In the meantime, here’s my list for you to dwell on and inspire you. Now to be clear, this is not my list of what I think are the 10 best movies of the decade. You can look to Roger Ebert and his brethren of critics to inundate you with such lists between now and the end of the year. Instead, this is a list of the movies that I know I will still be watching and re-watching 10 and 20 years from now whenever they show up on cable. Oh wait, apparently cable TV won’t exist anymore in 10 years, so let’s just say these are the 10 movies that I will beam directly into my brain when I want some 00’s nostalgia and just want to be entertained and captivated by a movie. So here we go.
by Jonathan Fuhrman | 12:50 pm, December 4th, 2009
I have a fun little project for you. Why don’t you try condensing 10 years of movies you love into 1 co... more
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1
Almost Famous (2000)
So in considering 10 years worth of movies, some incredible amazing movies I’ll remember and revisit always, and then again some starring Larry the Cable Guy, why is Cameron Crowe’s “Almost Famous” my #1 favorite? I guess I probably chose it because I think it’s a perfect movie. It does everything that only the best movies can. It transports you to a world that you otherwise would not be privy to – in this case the world of a rock and roll band on the verge of superstardom during the early 1970’s – and lets you enter this world through they eyes of a likeably innocent character anyone can relate to, a character you can enjoy watching transform before your eyes. Here that character is a 15-year-old boy who is hired by Rolling Stone to go on the road with the band to interview them. Pure nonsense you say, a 15 yr old boy hired as a Rolling Stone journalist? How can I emotionally invest myself in a film with such an outlandish plot? Well, it’s pretty much a true story. Cameron Crowe wrote and directed this film and his inspiration for it were the teenage years he spent as a journalist for Rolling Stone (he was hired at 15), especially the times he spent touring with such bands as Led Zeppelin and The Allman Brothers Band. Because Crowe really lived in the world he recreates in this film, every moment and detail rings true. A summary of the plot of this movie can’t do justice to what makes this movie so special and memorable. Let me allay your fears – this film is not at all about journalism, but it is very much about the passion that goes into writing about something you love. I can watch this film over and over because it effortlessly recreates a time and place that is long gone, and the film is overflowing with lovable and entertaining characters every which way you turn (standout performances abound in this film by the likes of Billy Crudup, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Frances McDormand, Jason Lee, Kate Hudson giving an Academy Award nominated performance making you realize there is much more to her than A-Rod, Zooey Deschanel and a young Patrick Fugit as Crowe’s doppleganger). And oh yeah, the music, how can I forget. The “Almost Famous” soundtrack is pretty much a bible of 70’s rock, with standout track after standout track, the pinnacle being Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer” because it instantly takes you back to one of the film’s most memorable scenes as a bus full of budding rock stars, groupies, roadies and our young journalist perform a mass sing-a-long to Elton’s classic. Its difficult to watch this film without secretly wishing you could transport yourself to the early 70’s and go on the road with this somewhat motley crue.
2
Gladiator (2000)
Are you not entertained? If not, you better re-watch this film again, and then again. And one more time for good measure. Ridley Scott has teamed with Russell Crowe many times throughout the 00’s and they already have another film in the can together set to come out next summer (“Robin Hood” – because you know you’ve been waiting to see Russell Crowe in green tights). But “Gladiator” is the film that brought them together for the first time, and which brought Russell Crowe to the level of super-stardom and made him an Academy Award winner for Best Actor in the role of a lifetime, Maximus. Oh yeah, “Gladiator” won Best Picture as well. And the Academy got it right. What a movie. This film has it all. There are bloody epic battles in Roman arenas. There is Maximus giving passionate speeches such as “At my signal, unleash hell”. Ok, that might not actually fit the definition of a speech, but it sure does the job. There is a man on a mission to seek justice for the deaths of his loved ones. There is Russell Crowe wearing a skirt (Ok, so on second thought maybe some people have been waiting to see Russell Crowe wear green tights). In a film filled with memorable moments, my favorite has to be that scene in the arena where Maximus takes off his gladiator mask and reveals himself to the evil emperor Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix). You know the scene. Say these lines along with me, and I know you will start to feel pumped up, you just can’t help it. “My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions, loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next.” Chills, I tell you, I get chills. I’m sure this film is playing somewhere on cable this very minute so I’ll forgive you if you skip my #1 for now, and go watch Maximus get his vengeance again in this lifetime.
3
The Dark Knight (2008)
The 00s will likely be remembered as the decade the superhero movie came of age. Just consider how many comic-book film franchises have flooded cinemas in the last 10 years. “Spiderman” kicked the decade off and launched a new filmmaking powerhouse that is Marvel Studios (so powerful that Disney snapped them up earlier this year for a tidy $4 billion, yes BILLION). “Spiderman” may have earned a spot here if not for the fact that the 3rd Spidey film really was that much of a turnoff (I really dig Tobey Maguire as Spiderman, but if I ever see him dance his way through another musical number on screen, it better be in a new musical by Rob Marshall and not in another Spiderman movie!). But “The Dark Knight” isn’t just a great comic-book film. It’s a great film period. So great that many people believe that the reason the Academy Award for Best Picture will grow to 10 nominations this year is because The Dark Knight was flat-out robbed last year when it didn’t get a Best Picture nomination. The film is a piece of bravura movie-making by writer/director Christopher Nolan, and a fitting allegory for our current troubled times. What truly makes this film mesmerizing from start to finish is the performance of Heath Ledger as The Joker. Ledger justly won a posthumous Best Supporting Actor Award for his performance in this film. Years from now when you think of Heath Ledger, the first thing you will likely think of is the Joker. His performance is both funny and terrifying at the same time, a comic book villain for the ages. You would have never thought that someone could erase the image of Jack Nicholson’s portrayal of the Joker (from Tim Burton’s 1989 “Batman”) from the collective consciousness, but Ledger did it. If that’s’ not a testament to how great Ledger’s Joker was, I don’t know what is. Nolan is rumored to begin working on his third Batman film in 2010. That film sure will have a lot to live up to. I can’t wait to see it.
4
Lost in Translation (2003)
I’ve heard over the years since this movie came out that some people say they don’t get the hype about it and why did it get such critical acclaim? To me there is probably more of a simple equation at play – you are either a Bill Murray lover or a Bill Murray hater. Being someone who came of age in the era of “Stripes”, “Caddyshack” and “Ghostbusters”, you can firmly put a check in the Bill Murray lover column for me. And while I can still endlessly watch the Murray movies from my childhood, it sure is nice to add one to the adult column. Now, I’m generalizing as Murray has had many great roles in recent years, though usually they are more of the supporting character-type, such as the many great roles he has had in Wes Anderson’s films, including my #7 pick “The Royal Tenenbaums”, and especially his role in Anderson’s “Rushmore”. Yet throughout his great career, he has never had a more grown up and layered role than his role in “Lost in Translation”, and the role stands quite in contrast to the man-child type roles that made him famous. This is a beautiful movie written and directed by Sofia Coppola (helping us forever forgive and forget Sofia’s turn as an actress in Godfather Part 3). Murray seems to be playing an alternate reality version of himself – a big time Hollywood star, perhaps on the downside of his career, who is in Japan to earn a fat paycheck filming a whisky ad. The movie is best at making you feel Murray’s isolation at being a stranger in a strange land, and then experiencing the feeling of hope and optimism that a lost soul can begin to feel when finding something to grab a hold of. In this case, what Murray’s character finds is a muse who rescues him from endless boozing at the hotel bar. His muse is played by Scarlett Johansson, who was a ridiculously young 18 years old at the time the film was shot, but she credibly passes as a young bored newlywed in her early 20s and as a kindred spirit to Murray’s character. The plot is as simple can be, yet the movie hits every emotion making you laugh even as it breaks your heart a little. I will admit every time I see the film, I somehow hope that I will hear the parting words that Murray’s character whispers to Johansson’s at the end of the film. But that’s probably part of the magic of the film and the genius behind Coppola’s decision making – she makes those last words inaudible so that in an act of transference, each viewer can take from the movie what he or she needs to.
5
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
“Stay Classy San Diego”. With those four words, Will Ferrell cemented a classic character for the ages. Honestly, you just can’t fight it, Ron Burgundy, that lovable womanizer/imbecile lead anchor for Channel 4 news in San Diego, will live on and on. In fact, thanks to countless re-runs on cable, “Anchorman” has already established itself as one of the most re-watchable films of the 00’s. The film cemented Will Ferrell’s jump from “Saturday Night Live” to feature film stardom, all the while paving the way for other Ferrell comedy classics in recent years like “Talladega Nights” and “Step Brothers” (yes I realize I’m using a very liberal definition of classic here). Even if audiences have started to tire a little bit from Ferrell’s shtick as this decade ends (e.g. check out the poor box office results for “Land of the Lost” – I still haven’t seen it, but I will have to give it a courtesy view when it hits cable because I respect Ferrell that much), there is no denying the birth of the film comedic genius in “Anchorman”. This movie has my designated ‘so silly its smart’ comedy slot for the decade (runner up, Ben Stiller’s genius parody of the model/fashion world, “Zoolander”), and its comedic forerunners are “Airplane”, “Fletch” and “Caddyshack”. “Anchorman” will have the same kind of staying power as those masterpieces (that’s right, don’t question me, I said masterpieces). Maybe its because “Anchorman” is set in a ridiculous parody of the free-wheeling 70’s (ok I’m hoping its mostly parody, because if not the 70s were way scarier than I can remember), but its unlikely this film will soon feel dated. And it will be quoted by college freshmen (and their counterparts of any age who still wish they were in college) for years to come. Here are some memorable and very classy lines from the great Ron Burgundy for the road: “You are a smelly pirate hooker.” “Why don’t you go back to your home on Whore Island?” “I love scotch. Scotchy, scotch, scotch. Here it goes down, down into my belly…” Need I say more?
6
Any Pixar animated movie
Ok, I’m cheating here as I’m not going to just name one Pixar film (though if you forced me to choose I would probably pick this year’s academy-award contender, “Up” (2009), “Finding Nemo” (2003), or “The Incredibles” (2004) – see you force me to choose and I still pick 3! That’s how good Pixar is!). As the 2000’s come to a close, computer animated films are de rigeur, with every major Hollywood studio and many indie studios releasing such films (some more successfully than others). But if you think back to the ancient days of 2000, Pixar was basically the only game in town (Dreamworks had released Antz in 1998 and was prepping Shrek for a 2001 release which would soon finally give Pixar some worthy competition). You might think a studio with essentially no competition could possibly get complacent or release substandard product and take advantage of an audience hungry for computer animated fare. Not Pixar. And movie lovers everywhere are the winners in this case. Each of Pixar’s animated films are incredibly re-watchable and every film they released this decade was revolutionary in its own way – so honestly, just insert your designated Pixar choice here. These movies are all instant masterpieces not only because of their visual inventiveness and creativity, but because at the heart of every Pixar film is good old-fashioned story-telling that connects and stays with the viewer on an emotional level. These films truly play to an audience of any age, and without a doubt will continue to play on and on to new generations of film goers. They are the new Disney classics. For more on “Up”, which was recently released on DVD/Blu-Ray, see my musings in my “Smart Pick of the Week” posting about “Up” at http://smarthollywood.tumblr.com.
7
The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
Wes Anderson seems in many ways to me like a kindred spirit to Charlie Kaufman. Such an auteur, his films’ unmistakable style render them immediately distinguishable from works by anyone else. Even the recently released stop-motion animated film “Fantastic Mr. Fox” can sit side by side all of Wes Anderson’s other films and look like it is part of the same world. And this is a film with fox puppets! But if you think about it, the characters in Anderson’s films are always his puppets – part of a unique, visually inventive world that Anderson meticulously builds piece by piece. It is for this reason all of his films are eminently re-watchable and rewarding upon multiple viewings, and The Royal Tenenbaums does not disappoint in that regard. This film came out at the beginning of the decade and most definitely has already stood the test of time in my world. The characters in this film are so enjoyable to follow, especially because each has their own little quirky idiosyncrasies and a distinct visual style. It’s certainly not an accident that all of the members of the Tenenbaum family now annually serve as inspiration for Halloween costumes. I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve seen this film, but if I’m channel surfing and I come upon Royal Tenenbaum and his clan of brooding geniuses, I immediately put the remote down and get lost in Anderson’s fantastic world. I can’t wait to get lost there again.
8
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
Who would have thought a Jim Carrey movie would make this list and it wouldn’t involve him talking out of his butt? Seriously, Jim Carrey made quite a few movies where he tried to take his career in alternate directions during the 00’s, but to me the only film of his where he truly got that mix perfectly right is the beautiful, emotional, inventive (insert your own adjective of praise here because believe me they all apply) film, “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”. There is no way I’m going to try to summarize the plot of this movie, and the fact that it can’t be described in a typical 30 second Hollywood pitch is very much part of what makes it so special. “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” rewards multiple viewings, in fact they are almost essential. The second time you see this film, it’s a much different experience, which only leaves the viewer appreciating the film even more. But the film has so many layers and the lead performances by Carrey and Kate Winslet (playing Carrey’s maybe soul mate) are so wonderful that even upon the 10th viewing, you still make new discoveries and get pulled in by the originality and brain-busting nature of the film’s concept. We can thank Charlie Kaufman, one of the decade’s most original screenwriters (and then later, directors) for this amazingly special film. If “Eternal Sunshine” didn’t make this list, the Kaufman written, Spike Jonze directed film “Adaptation” very well might have.
9
Into the Wild (2007)
Sean Penn may have closed out the decade winning a Best Actor Oscar for “Milk”, but to me his finest work of the 00’s was this film where he stayed very much behind the camera. Based on a best-selling non-fiction book by Jon Krakauer, “Into the Wild”, written and directed by Penn, tells the heart-breaking true story of one young man’s journey to find himself. This woefully underrated film was released at a time when such darkly cynical films such as “No Country For Old Men” and “There Will Be Blood” were dominating pop culture and the awards circuit. But for me, “Into The Wild” stands on equal ground with those two aforementioned films (which both were also very near-misses to this list). What sets this film apart from those 2 films to me is that it is a film full of beauty and life, and one which packs an emotional wallop that gets me every time I see it. Emile Hirsch leads a stellar yet quirky cast that includes Katherine Keener, Vince Vaughn, Kristen Stewart (yes everyone Bella from Twilight!), Hal Holbrook, William Hurt, Marcia Gay Harden, Jena Malone and “The Hangover“‘s very own Zach Galifianakis. Add in a hauntingly beautiful and sparse soundtrack by Eddie Vedder, and this completes a film that never fails to captivate nor move me.
10
Superbad (2007)
Let’s face it, Judd Apatow has dominated the 00’s comedy movie scene like no other writer/director/producer/mensch out there. I mean multi-hyphenate doesn’t even cover it when you consider everything he has brought to the table since his feature film directorial debut “The 40 Year Old Virgin” (a very very near miss to this list by the way). And yeah in case you were wondering, Judd also wrote and produced that one too. But anyway, thanks to Judd’s mentoring of a funny/furry young actor/screenwriter named Seth Rogen (another multi-hyphenate who in the next decade will add superhero to his name when he stars in “The Green Hornet”, which he also is writing/producing) and Judd’s newfound power in Hollywood, ‘Superbad’ was born. And in the process so was the defining high school comedy of the 00’s, a worthy successor to any of John Hughes 80’s classics – but without a doubt, raunchier and funnier than those films which seem almost chaste in comparison. A simple tale of some high school buds trying to buy liquor and lose their virginity, what the film lacks in originality (I think I pretty much just summarized the plot of every high school movie ever made including High School Musical – if High School Musical was made by any other studio besides Disney that is), ‘Superbad’ makes up for with its heart and its realistic depiction of two best friends’ bitter-sweet realization that things may never be the same when high school ends. And oh yeah, did I mention the blisteringly funny dialogue and spot on performances by a great cast on display? Well, for all of the above reasons, “Superbad” will live on and on. And if you want a fun double feature recommendation, watch “Superbad” back to back with “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” (another all-time classic high school flick that has heart to go with its wit) and witness a high school world before cell phones and the internet, and where high school seniors looked like they were 30 (yes, Judge Reinhold, I’m talking about you).
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