The MoFo Top 100 of the 2000s Countdown [Archive] - Page 3

Thief

12-10-21, 02:13 PM

Critics

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Some info about #92, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly...

https://i.imgur.com/jDjazGL.png

It currently has a 94% Certified Fresh Tomatometer score among critics, and a 8.0/10 score on IMDb (with 106,000 votes).

Roger Ebert gave it ★★★★ and said:

"The [film] is not what you could call inspirational, because none of us would think to be in such a situation and needing inspiration. It is more than that. It is heroic. Here is the life force at its most insistent, lashing out against fate with stubborn resolve. And also with lust, hunger, humor and all of the other notes that this man once played so easily. "

On the other hand, Scott Foundas, of Village Voice, said:

"From its relentless visual distortion to its wearying parade of Felliniesque fantasy sequences, Schnabel's film wants you to know that it's art with a capital 'A.' It's also disability porn with a capital 'D.'"

As for our MoFo reviewers, Holden Pike said:

"Amazing and ultimately inspiring true story adapted from the slim memoir of the same name by Jean-Dominique Bauby... Pretty incredible stuff, and the screenplay adapted by Ron Harwood and direction of painter turned filmmaker Julian Schnabel are able to use many of Bauby's own elegant thoughts and words directly from the manuscript, but also flesh out the larger story of his life."

And mark f said:

"Harrowing, beguiling, ultimately uplifting true-life story... Don't let any of that dissuade anyone from watching this amazing film. I'm not a fan of Schnabel's earlier Basqiat and Before Night Falls, but this film completely disarmed me and pretty much blew me away."

Thief

12-10-21, 02:21 PM

Critics

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Some info about #91, Hedwig and the Angry Inch...

https://i.imgur.com/clmkyh9.png

It currently has a 92% Certified Fresh Tomatometer score among critics, and a 7.7/10 score on IMDb (with 35,000 votes).

Roger Ebert gave it ★★★ and said:

"John Cameron Mitchell electrifies the movie, with a performance that isn't a satire of glam-rock performers so much as an authentic glam-rock performance. The movie may have had a limited budget, but the screen is usually filled with something sensational... Michael Pitt's performance as Tommy is all the more astonishing if you've recently seen him, as I did, playing Donny, the overgrown tough kid, in Bully. This material could have been glib and smug, but it isn't. There's some kind of pulse of sincerity beating below the glittering surface, and it may come from Mitchell's own life story. "

On the other hand, Dennis Harvey, of Variety, said:

"Those expecting a rockin' good time are likely to be left cold by this screen translation, which despite some imaginative packaging too often proves a drag in more than the sartorial sense."

As for our MoFo reviewers, Sexy Celebrity said:

"A rollicking romp and pretty entertaining -- if, I think, it's your speed. It's taken me years to adjust to this movie. It is a movie that I think in its own way stalks me just like how Hedwig goes on stalking Tommy. I only wish it had a more satisfying ending... I do recommend Hedwig and the Angry Inch to general audiences, though, because I think that, understandable to you or not, it features some rather amusing bits."

And TheUsualSuspect said:

"I give props to John Cameron Mitchell, for not only directing the film and having a unique style, but for diving head first into the lead role of Hedwig. A great performance from someone who has the daunting task of having to have control over numerous things. He gives 100 percent in both positions. Hedwig isn't a film for everyone. Yet those wanting to experience something unique and fun, check it out."

Holden Pike

12-10-21, 02:23 PM

83347

Hedwig is weird and wonderful though not on my ballot. However Julian Schnabel's The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is the first of my choices to show. I gave it nine of its seventy points as my seventeenth selection. For me it remains Julian's best, most complete film to date. The artistic examination of locked-in syndrome as not simply a horror - which it surely is - but as the expression of life and love still capable by the thinking man imprisoned inside is touching and inspiring, but not in a cheap movie-of-the-week way that manipulates pathos. Instead the film interprets Jean-Dominique Bauby's memoir with grace and humor and passion and poetry.

Le Scaphandre et le Papillon wowed the critics and was up for some high profile awards but I feared its footprint may have diminished in the years since. I am glad to see that here at MoFo anyway its spirit is still flying.

HOLDEN’S BALLOT
17. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (#92)

Thief

12-10-21, 02:26 PM

I don't know if this is too much information as far as the rest of the list is concerned, but as of now, we've already covered the only films on the list that have a Rotten Tomatometer (less than 60%): The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (at 56%) and The Devil's Rejects (at 55%). Everything else on the list is Fresh, with most of them being Certified Fresh (over 75%).

Remember what I said before, that the Tomatometer is not necessarily a direct indicator of quality, but rather of how a collective of critics sees the film in either a positive (Fresh) or negative light (Rotten). So what we can infer about the above two is that they are "polarizing", not that they are "weak" or "bad".

edarsenal

12-10-21, 02:28 PM

Have not seen or heard of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly but it DOES sound like something I would thoroughly enjoy.

I got to see Hedwig and the Angry Inch in the 15th HoF when Miss Vicky nominated it and very much enjoyed:
http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/BN-FQ689_hedwig_G_20141120114839.jpg

Hedwig and the Angry Inch

"I had tried singing once back in Berlin. They threw tomatoes. After the show, I had a nice salad."

As I had imagined I would, I did really enjoy this.
A lot of things worked well with this. The addition of animation, the various gigs in itty bitty places, and the countless witticisms born from inner anguish and the tenacity to go on, this was a great little travel of one's search of their other half within themselves with a pretty d@mn good soundtrack as we follow along.

There was a wonderful mixture of melancholy, flamboyance, and, in the end, a rather lovely uplifting message to it all.
While you could easily delve into the emotional impact of the lyrics and the back story which is delivered with such bravado; it is equally as easy to simply enjoy the sights and the sounds of this film.

I was pleasantly surprised to see a few folks I know, like Michael Pitt whom I know from Boardwalk Empire playing Tommy, and Alberta Watson who I loved as Madeline in the 90's Nikita TV Show playing Hedwig's mom which I DID NOT recognize AT ALL. And finally, Andrea Martin, whom I loved since seeing her in the comedy skit show SCTV when I was a teenager to one of my favorite characters in My Big Fat Greek Wedding. "He don't eat meat? What you meant he don't eat meat? Is OK, I make lamb."

Sorry, I digress.

Truly glad I finally got to see this!

Films Watched 7 out of 10 (70%)
17. Mother (#96)
25. A Bittersweet Life (One Pointer)

One Pointers: 10 out of 38 (26.31%)

Allaby

12-10-21, 02:31 PM

Seen both but neither made my ballot. Hedwig is excellent, a 9/10 and a worthy addition to the top 100. Diving Bell is good, but not great, in my opinion, a 7/10.

Thief

12-10-21, 02:39 PM

Stats: Pit Stop #1
https://image.shutterstock.com/image-vector/pit-stop-crew-members-red-260nw-1728002248.jpg

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Now that we've hit the first pit stop (90), here are some stats:

Decade Breakdown

2000 = 1
2001 = 2
2002 = 0
2003 = 1
2004 = 1
2005 = 3
2006 = 0
2007 = 1
2008 = 0
2009 = 1

No point in doing a director breakdown cause there have been no repeats so far, but it's interesting that the list has been a bit all over the place genre-wise:

Musical = 1
Biopic drama = 1
Romantic drama = 2
Horror = 1
Road film/coming of age = 1
Thriller = 1
Drama/mystery = 1
Comedy drama = 1
Epic, war drama = 1

Also, four of the 10 films are foreign, which is also interesting. No animated films... yet :shifty:

Thief

12-10-21, 02:47 PM

Trailers

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPlcQfglFJg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4p9mPhGo1j0

Citizen Rules

12-10-21, 02:49 PM

Seen Hedwig, but not the other one.

So far I've seen 7 out of 10.

John Dumbear

12-10-21, 02:54 PM

Thank goodness that one pointer put me on the board. Shooting blanks since.

1. *
2. *
3. *
4. *
5. *
6. *
7. *
8. *
9. *
10. *
11. *
12. *
13. *
14. *
15. *
16. *
17. *
18. *
19. *
20. *
21. *
22. *
23. *
24. *
25. The OH in Ohio

Have seen so far: 5
Put on list for future viewing: 3
My list that ended up on the cutting room floor (dammit!): 2
Put on "meh" list : 2
1 Ptrs: seen 8

edarsenal

12-10-21, 03:16 PM

Along with all the stats, reviews, trivia, THANK YOU for the Trailers, Thief!!!

Sedai

12-10-21, 03:20 PM

I will put Diving Bell on my list, but have pretty much zero interest in seeing Hedwig.

honeykid

12-10-21, 03:43 PM

No. I hoped it would make it but was worried it wouldn't especially since hk didn't vote. It was just the only qualifying musical I could think of that might have enough MoFo fans to make the cut.

Sorry to let you down Miss Vicky because you know that it's probably top 10 for me in a 2000's list. Great film and one I recommend to anyone. Especially those who (like myself and MV) aren't usually fans of musicals.

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is another film I own but have not seen. I really don't know if I could watch it now.

Not seen The Devils Rejects since release but remember quite liking it. Nothing great, but it has it's place. I'm not really one for torture or prolonged pain.

Pride & Prejudice is OK but I'm not a fan of the story. I love period dramas, but that particular story has never really clicked with me regardless of the version I've seen. I much prefer Sense & Sensiblity or Emma.

Miss Vicky

12-10-21, 03:52 PM

Sorry to let you down Miss Vicky because you know that it's probably top 10 for me in a 2000's list.

No worries. Life happens. It got 7 votes even without you, which is awesome. I'm curious who the other 6 are, though. I assume Thursday Next was one, but no clue who else did.

CosmicRunaway

12-10-21, 03:58 PM

I'd seen MV mention Hedwig and the Angry Inch a few times and considered watching it, even though I typically hate musicals. I didn't actually get around to it until it was nominated in the 15th HoF though haha. I quite enjoyed it, and while it wasn't on my ballot, I'm happy to see it show up here.

I don't think I've ever heard of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly before.

Seen: 3/10

My List:
08. Mother (2009) - #96
25. Bon Cop, Bad Cop (2006) - 1-pointer

rauldc14

12-10-21, 04:09 PM

No worries. Life happens. It got 7 votes even without you, which is awesome. I'm curious who the other 6 are, though. I assume Thursday Next was one, but no clue who else did.

Your alt accounts :)

Rockatansky

12-10-21, 04:09 PM

Lol I've only seen one movie so far

MovieFan1988

12-10-21, 04:15 PM

Lol I've only seen one movie so far

Same here lol and it was Devil's Rejects, crap movie, which was the one movie you saw so far?

Rockatansky

12-10-21, 04:20 PM

Same here lol and it was Devil's Rejects, crap movie, which was the one movie you saw so far?

Same one, and I voted for it. :D

MovieFan1988

12-10-21, 04:21 PM

Same one, and I voted for it. :D

ah ok lol

Thief

12-10-21, 04:43 PM

Lol I've only seen one movie so far

Same here lol and it was Devil's Rejects, crap movie, which was the one movie you saw so far?

Same one, and I voted for it. :D

ah ok lol

https://media.giphy.com/media/4ZMsXG1uh6cZTo1F9Y/giphy.gif

:D

Thief

12-10-21, 04:52 PM

Awards

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Now to the awards received by The Diving Bell and the Butterfly...

BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (Ronald Harewood)
Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film
Golden Globe Award for Best Director (Julian Schnabel)
Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Director (Schnabel)
Cannes Film Festival Vulcan Award (Janusz Kaminski)
César Award for Best Actor (Mathieu Amalric)
César Award for Best Editing (Juliette Welfling)

Among many, many others.

As for Hedwig and the Angry Inch, it won...

Sundance Film Festival Audience and Directing Award
GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Film
Berlin International Film Festival Best Feature (Teddy Award)
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for New Generation (John Cameron Mitchell)

Also among many others...

seanc

12-10-21, 04:54 PM

I liked Hedwig but, very strangely, it is not a movie that I remember very well at all.

I have almost started Diving Bell like three times when it was on Netflix so it’s a weird blind spot. This should help me remedy that.

Holden Pike

12-10-21, 05:08 PM

Now that we've hit the first pit stop (90), here are some stats:
In a similar spirit, of these bottom ten only three previously appeared on the MoFo Top 100 of the Millennium List: Werckeister Harmonies (#59), Master & Commander: The Far Side of the World (#95), and Hedwig and the Angry Inch (#98).

83356

Thief

12-10-21, 05:11 PM

In a similar spirit, of these bottom ten only three previously appeared on the MoFo Top 100 of the Millennium List: Werckeister Harmonies (#59), Master & Commander: The Far Side of the World (#95), and Hedwig and the Angry Inch (#98).

83356

Good point! Either improving a bit (Hedwig), slipping a bit (Master and Commander), or a lot (Werckmeister Harmonies).

kgaard

12-10-21, 05:27 PM

I want to tell a story about Hedwig. It's about the show, not the movie, but the two are intertwined for me. My wife and I were going to see the Broadway revival, and it was the first night for John Cameron Mitchell taking the role over again. Obviously, this was a big deal for Hedwig fans, and the theatre was buzzing with energy. Before the show we started chatting with the people around us. To our right was a guy who was there by himself--his wife had only agreed to let him spend the money to fly up from Atlanta where they lived and see the show if she could get a dog in exchange. In front of us was a guy who worked in construction and was there with his daughter. He told us one night he was asleep on the couch and when he woke up the movie was on, so he started watching it and was so hooked by it he got his daughter to watch it too. He also had a Hedwig Origin of Love symbol tattooed on the back of his neck. I've been to dozens (hundreds?) of shows but I've never talked with the people around me as much as on this occasion (and the show itself was the most raucous I've seen on Broadway).

A friend of mine once asked me what it was that made me such a fan of Hedwig, exactly? It's not an easy question to answer, because it feels something like trying to explain why you are in love with a person. Like Pascal said, "The heart has its reasons, of which reason knows nothing." There are the obvious explanations, like the wonderful songs (I've been singing "Origin of Love" as a lullaby to my son since he was an infant) or JCM and Miriam Shor's performances, and those are part of it but not the whole. Part of it may simply be timing--when I first saw Hedwig (the show) at the Jane Street I was in my late 20s, still new to New York, and wide open to new experiences. And its expressions of the quest for identity and meaning and the possibilities of transformation connected with parts of me doing the same thing. I love how the show, and the movie, take a person who is bitter and wounded and turns them into a figure of rebirth and possibility.

But in the end I come back to that story of talking with people before the show. It's that kind of connection that gives something importance greater than it has by itself. It's been a beautiful gift.

Hedwig and the Angry Inch was my #1.

Takoma11

12-10-21, 05:56 PM

I haven't seen any, but I've heard great things about Hedwig and the Angry Inch. I'm not sure, but I think Takoma11 has brought it up to me on a couple occasions (I might be wrong).

Yea, I'm a big fan of it. It was my #25. (Weirdly I had Pride and Prejudice a lot higher than I remembered, at #9, and if I did my list today those two would probably be flipped).

*Breathes a sigh of relief* I was really starting to worry that this wouldn't show up.

As those of you who know me know all too well, I HATE musicals. It's probably my least favorite genre of movies. But Hedwig and the Angry Inch is a huge exception. It's so funny and yet so moving and emotional. And the songs are absolutely wonderful. I love them so much I bought the soundtrack. I really can't praise this movie enough. I voted for it at #6 and never considered putting it any lower.

Yeah, the songs are amazing. My sister and I used to drive around and listen to it in the car together. "Origin of Love" is awesome, but I also love "Sugar Daddy" and "Midnight Radio". Also, Dar Williams is friends with Stephen Trask (who wrote the musical), and her having nice things to say about him just added positivity.

But I also think that the movie is genuinely funny and quotable. ("You can't put a bra in a dryer, IT WARPS!!!" or "In the late mid-80s I was in my early late-20s . . ."). Its themes about identity--and specifically gender-identity--are still really relevant and I love that it allows its lead character to be incredibly messy.

While Diving Bell and the Butterfly was really good, it did not make my ballot. Having worked for three years with someone--a child from Kindergarten to second grade--who had to use a communication board (looking at letters on a see-through plastic board to spell words), oof, they really capture the struggle to communicate.

MovieMeditation

12-10-21, 06:04 PM

Seen neither.

I actually own Diving Bell, but only because I bought it like 15 years ago when I knew jack sh*t about film but liked the cover… so I popped it in and was like “the F is this poo” and shut it off after 15 minutes hahah

Harry Lime

12-10-21, 06:06 PM

Both good films deserving of a spot on the list.

rauldc14

12-10-21, 06:17 PM

Both good films deserving of a spot on the list.

Didn't peg you as a Hedwig fan

rauldc14

12-10-21, 06:33 PM

Here's what I said about Hedwig in the 15th:

Hedwig and the Angry Inch

http://static1.1.sqspcdn.com/static/f/709071/26817715/1453857332357/hedwig-origin.jpg?token=fUVvkCZQguTdsVsKPXkoWrLj58k%3D

I basically hated this as could have been expected. I will say that I did like the performance of Hedwig by John Cameron Mitchell. He did a great job and his singing was actually pretty good. Then, that's about where I end the praise for the film. The rest of the characters I either disliked or had no opinion for. I didn't really care for the story at all. I wish we were to feel a little more sympathy for Hedwig, but I really don't. His relationships with Luther or Tommy didn't seem all that genuine to me. And that ending song was a real pain, that's the second film in a row where things completely crumble at the end. I don't have a lot more to say because I didn't care all that much about what was going on. Musicals are often a big hit or miss category, especially for me. This one ends up as a big strikeout.

1.5

cricket

12-10-21, 06:37 PM

Seen Hedwig twice thanks to Miss Vicky. It didn't get my vote here but most definitely will if we ever get to a musicals countdown.

I've always been interested in Diving Bell but I guess not enough to watch it on my own as of yet.

Thief

12-10-21, 06:45 PM

ynwtf

12-10-21, 06:47 PM

This is neither here nor there, but figured what with all the trivia flying about I should add it:

William H. Macy was in The Last Dragon.

Now kiss my Converse.

GulfportDoc

12-10-21, 08:08 PM

I haven't seen either film :(
Seen them? I've never even heard of them...:)

pahaK

12-10-21, 10:52 PM

I have very little to update. Only seen two more since the first films were revealed. I watched Mother for an HoF, and wasn't too impressed. The leading actress is brilliant and the film is technically solid, but it didn't really interest me. I've also seen (at least I'm quite sure of it) The Devil's Rejects but the devil details have been rejected by my brain. I don't think I liked it, either.

Of the others, Werckeister Harmonies is actually something I'm planning to watch one day. I just can't help the fact that in my brain there's a huge neon sign saying "Pretentious" over Tarr's head, and I haven't even seen a single film of his. Most of the other films I haven't even heard of, but they don't look like something I'd enjoy.

Seen: 4/11

crumbsroom

12-10-21, 11:11 PM

Totally forgot about Diving Bell. Another one that should have made it on my list, but whatever. It didn't.

I think I mostly hated Hedwig.

KeyserCorleone

12-10-21, 11:52 PM

Finished Werckmeister. This is coming from a guy who loved Satantango: Werckmeister went on too long in some instances. Satantango made a point of feeling very post-apocalyptic, so when I compare this average town setting to Satantango, it can't help but feel weaker. Having said that, philosophically it checks a lot of boxes. The characters and their relation to the crazy world around them kept this bleak approach to life alive.

88.

Now onto The Devil's Rejects. After that I'll have seen 6/10 revealed films.

I think I mostly hated Hedwig.

My first forum was a place that was pretty quick to throw the homophobe tag around for little comments like "I hated this movie" when there happened to be prominent homosexuality. After seeing this post, I thank sweet merciful God no other forum I've been to acts that cruelly and unreasonably.

Looking at the imagery of the film, I imagine it would be a really bombastic and hyperactive film which in general may not be up someone's ally. In my case, I love musicals, but I rarely watch LGBT films, so I don't know if I'll ever get around to it. But I enjoyed Bohemian Rhapsody and Rocketman, but that might've been more for the classic rock.

Thief

12-11-21, 12:18 AM

Trivia

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The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

https://archinect.imgix.net/uploads/fd/fdcb818f5b452d7c0518da7477dcc7c0?fit=crop&auto=compress%2Cformat&w=1200

Did you know that...

the film was initially set to be an American production (Universal) starring Johnny Depp? Depp even recommended Schnabel as a director. Eventually, Universal withdrew and Pathé picked up the project, switching production to France, while Depp bowed down to work on Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End.
Schnabel insisted in making the film in French in order to be closer to Bauby's experience, and he even learned French himself to help in the process?
the film was shot in the same hospital where the lead character was treated because Schnabel wanted to familiarize himself with Bauby's life?

https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/640x360/p01gr682.jpg

Thief

12-11-21, 12:26 AM

Trivia

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Hedwig and the Angry Inch

https://s3.birthmoviesdeath.com/images/made/hedwig_angry_inch_punk_rock_1050_591_81_s_c1.jpg

Did you know that...

most of the lead vocals were recorded "live" as the scenes were shot, to capture the intensity of a live performance?
Director, writer, and star John Cameron Mitchell said that Michael Pitt was somewhat uncomfortable with their prolonged kissing scene, complaining about being scratched by Mitchell's stubble?
Mitchell frequently had to shave his "five-o-clock shadow" towards the afternoon, without taking his makeup?
Mitchell has also said that Pitt ate onion and garlic directly before shooting the kiss scene?

https://moviehaku.com/thumbs/gallery/1400x0/4-Hedwig-and-the-Angry-Inch.jpg

PHOENIX74

12-11-21, 12:31 AM

92. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly : I was rather surprised when this didn't show up during the foreign language film countdown. I've always enjoyed it, and I didn't have to rewatch it for this countdown because I'd already seen it again recently. A very real account of someone trapped in their own body, unable to move even though their mind is working absolutely fine. The man was Jean-Dominique Bauby and was the editor of a French fashion magazine - and wouldn't you know it, someone who enjoyed life to the full. For someone who loves and lives for women, fast cars and excess to be trapped and hardly able to communicate brings pain beyond imagining, and the film does a great job of claustrophobically placing us behind his one good eye - hearing his thoughts as if they're our own. The struggle to communicate begins with a lengthy quest to define even one letter of the alphabet. This film always comes up as a contender, whether it be for this countdown or the foreign language one, but it always just gets squeezed out.

91. Hedwig and the Angry Inch : Thought this would show up, as it had in the Millennium countdown. It looks like my kind of movie, and when I eventually do see it there might be many viewings for me if the songs really click. I really need to put the world on pause for 5 years while I catch up with all the films on my watchlists.

I've seen 4/10 films so far. That ratio will improve as we get deeper in.

Thief

12-11-21, 12:35 AM

Tomorrow's hint...

She's expecting
Not thanks to sky and thunder
He's expecting
To join this musical wonder

KeyserCorleone

12-11-21, 12:50 AM

JU. NO. Easily.

I'll think about my second choice. For now, I'm guessing Moulin Rouge again.

John Dumbear

12-11-21, 01:23 AM

Reading the first two lines and thought oh crap, not "Twister". But that was '96, phew close one.

resopamenic

12-11-21, 01:29 AM

musical
This countdown was a mistake
https://c.tenor.com/rXYemTKXSOgAAAAC/ranze-terada-nogizaka.gif
:3

gbgoodies

12-11-21, 02:11 AM

I watched The Diving Bell and the Butterfly in one of the first movie tournaments that I participated in when I joined MoFo. I didn't rewatch it for this countdown, but I remember that the movie was good, but it was also a difficult movie to watch.

I watched Hedwig and the Angry Inch for this countdown because Miss Vicky has mentioned it many times as a favorite movie. To be honest, I expected to hate the movie, but I thought it deserved for me to give it a chance anyway. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I liked the movie much more than I thought I would. It didn't make my list, but I'm glad that I watched it.

KeyserCorleone

12-11-21, 02:13 AM

Well, Devil's Rejects was a bit more of the same and still not scary. But the story and the acting were way better. 62. No way it would get close to my ballot.

TheUsualSuspect

12-11-21, 02:13 AM

Despite my review for The Devil's Rejects being positive. It did not make my list.

Citizen Rules

12-11-21, 02:58 AM

Juno for sure based on the hint. That's all I got for a guess.

StuSmallz

12-11-21, 03:44 AM

Haven't seen Hedwig yet, but it did inspire this cool Type O Negative song, so I owe it that at least:

https://youtu.be/fkurr3elzaE

dadgumblah

12-11-21, 05:39 AM

Have heard of both but haven't had the opportunity to see either. So far, nothing I voted for has made the list but I'm hopeful. :)

ScarletLion

12-11-21, 08:37 AM

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly was on my ballot. Great film.

Never heard of Hedwig and the angry inch.

Harry Lime

12-11-21, 10:45 AM

Thief

12-11-21, 11:07 AM

Reveals in a minute or two...

Thief

12-11-21, 11:13 AM

73 points, 6 listsAlmost Famous (https://www.movieforums.com/movies/786-almost-famous.html)Director
Cameron Crowe, 2000

Starring
Patrick Fugit, Billy Crudup, Kate Hudson, Frances McDormand

Thief

12-11-21, 11:13 AM

74 points, 6 listsJuno (https://www.movieforums.com/movies/7326-juno.html)Director
Jason Reitman, 2007

Starring
Elliot Page, Michael Cera, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman

Thief

12-11-21, 11:16 AM

Two films I haven't seen in a very long time, especially Almost Famous, which I pretty much don't remember at all. Obviously, they didn't make my list.

Seen: 5/12

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22.
23. Mother (#96)
24.
25.

Thief

12-11-21, 11:17 AM

I think the hints are too easy and should not be posted. There. I said it. Might just be me I don't know.

Other than that great job so far Thief. You have added a lot to the countdown and I like it a lot. But I just see the hints as a subtraction.

Thanks. I have no strong feelings one way or the other about hints, but I thought people would enjoy taking a stab at it. I admit that I really didn't give much thought to the Juno one, so there's that also. We'll see how to make it tougher :D

seanc

12-11-21, 11:17 AM

Two that I haven't watched in a very long time.

I liked them both but remember Almost Famous more fondly, probably because of Hoffman, and would like to see it again. Juno I don't think I have much interest in returning to, but maybe someday.

Miss Vicky

12-11-21, 11:20 AM

Seen both. Like both. Voted for neither.

John Dumbear

12-11-21, 11:21 AM

Could have sworn I had "Almost Famous" on my list. Alas, it must have been one of my final cuts. Great Soundtrack!

Loved "Juno", but couldn't really have two Ellen Page vehicles. could I?

Iroquois

12-11-21, 11:25 AM

No votes. I don't care for either of these films - you can dig up a 3/5 review I did of Juno forever ago, but I ultimately ended up putting it on a "worst 100" list not too long after that (and while I'd admittedly not put it on there again, I cannot sanction its buffoonery). I'd argue Almost Famous is a slightly superior film, but I really don't f*ck with anything Cameron Crowe's made outside of Say Anything (though I suppose this is a distant runner-up).

Chypmunk

12-11-21, 11:27 AM

Yay, a first doughnut free day for me. Phew, I can breathe out now.
Remember enjoying both but voted for neither, a little surprised Almost Famous is not a bit higher.

Seen: 5/12 (Own: 4/12)

3. Madeo [Mother] (2009) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1216496/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_9) [#96]
25. The Pool (2007) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0911024/?ref_=fn_tt_tt_6) [1-ptr]

Faildictions (millennial edition v1.0):
88. Dear Zachary: A Letter To A Son About His Father (2008)
87. Kung Fu [Kung Fu Hustle] (2004)

CosmicRunaway

12-11-21, 11:42 AM

While I remember frequently seeing Almost Famous on the shelf at the video store, I don't think I ever picked the case up to look at it.

If I had only watched Juno once, I would've just been unimpressed with it. But as it stands, I actually despise the film. The first time I saw it was when it was new on DVD. My room mate had seen it and enjoyed it, so she convinced me to watch it. A couple years later, I had to rewatch it for a film class, and that viewing made me dislike it (and having to write a paper about it probably didn't help haha). Then I had the same professor for a different class, who wanted to cover Juno again and I absolutely hated it. I don't think it's actually deserving of my contempt and vitriol, but I just can't stand the film anymore.

Seen: 4/12

My List:
08. Mother (2009) - #96
25. Bon Cop, Bad Cop (2006) - 1-pointer

KeyserCorleone

12-11-21, 11:52 AM

Glad to at least be the first to call Juno, even if I failed miserably at the second guess.

Haven't actually seen either, but I know a fair bit about Juno to get it right. Having said that, I'll likely end up watching Almost Famous by tonight because I'm already familiar with Cameron Crowe.

ScarletLion

12-11-21, 11:53 AM

Two good films. Especially Almost Famous but neither were close to my ballot.

Harry Lime

12-11-21, 11:58 AM

I like Almost Famous quite a bit. Some great scenes and I think Cameron Crowe's best. Glad it made it but it wasn't on my list. Juno is decent, I have nothing against it.

cricket

12-11-21, 12:07 PM

Almost Famous was bordering on my list of contenders and would make my top 50.

I have not seen Juno.

rauldc14

12-11-21, 12:11 PM

I think the hints are too easy and should not be posted. There. I said it. Might just be me I don't know.

Other than that great job so far Thief. You have added a lot to the countdown and I like it a lot. But I just see the hints as a subtraction.

I feel the same way too. The Juno thing felt pretty obvious and while nobody will believe me Almost Famous crossed my mind and I haven't even seen the movie.

More importantly, the hint certainly eliminates certain films from appearing. I'd rather go back to the hint free reveals.

Deschain

12-11-21, 12:14 PM

Ah two movies I saw once, didn’t understand the hype for, and never watched again.

Holden Pike

12-11-21, 12:16 PM

83372

Almost Famous was #32 on the MoFo Top 100 of the Millennium List while Juno was #53. Both still make the cut, neither as popular here as they once were. Which was in large part my argument for redoing the list, in addition to the non-decade format. Which movies truly stand the test of time?

I like both of these movies, voted for neither. I liked Juno much more upon its release, and while its stylized dialogue gets all of the attention the characters are what draw me in. Almost Famous is the one that seems to get better and better with repeat viewings for me, especially since I have started singing in bands myself. It would be just outside my top fifty for the decade.

SpelingError

12-11-21, 12:20 PM

Once again, I haven't seen either film :(

MovieFan1988

12-11-21, 12:26 PM

Have seen so far: 2 - Seen Juno, not a fan of the movie really, it was an okay movie
Have not seen so far: 10

Cobpyth

12-11-21, 12:31 PM

There's one scene from Almost Famous that sticks with almost anyone who's seen the film. So good:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qW9wqUI4Lg&ab_channel=belfeguz

rauldc14

12-11-21, 12:32 PM

Juno is the third I've seen. I like the movie but it's been a heck of a long time since I've seen it so don't know if I'd feel the same.

Almost Famous is another blind spot for me.

pahaK

12-11-21, 12:40 PM

I don't think I've seen either of those. At least both names are familiar, though.

MovieMeditation

12-11-21, 01:39 PM

Seen Juno a long time ago. It was okay as far as I remember, but I didn’t love it the way the hype told me I should.

Almost Famous I’ve been wanting to see but haven’t yet.

mark f

12-11-21, 01:53 PM

Almost Famous is funny, especially if you're familiar with the history of Rolling Stone. Love the soundtrack and the Golden God scene.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYz3E4MckSw
I never found Juno unrealistic. I just thought some of the early scenes were more "lived in" by the characters (although we didn't understand them yet) than the later scenes where you already understood the characters' actions better. These "early" scenes did initially come across as "a bit smug", but the more you watch the film, the more naturalistic and funny the characters and the film seems.

Neither made my list.

Derek Vinyard

12-11-21, 02:08 PM

I've seen Almost Famous and Juno and didn't really care for either.

Citizen Rules

12-11-21, 02:26 PM

I really liked Juno, there I said it!:D I'm glad but surprised it made the list.
I haven't seen Juno since it came out, so I don't know if I'd have the same enthusiasm today but back when it came out it felt fresh. Way fresher than the assembly line block buster stuff Hollywood was churning out.

Almost Famous, I really dug this movie as it puts the viewer right in the lead character's shoes and at a very interesting time in rock music. Another one I haven't seen in a decade or more, and then only once.

Neither got a vote from me, but I'm glad to see them make the countdown:)

Thief

12-11-21, 02:41 PM

I feel the same way too. The Juno thing felt pretty obvious and while nobody will believe me Almost Famous crossed my mind and I haven't even seen the movie.

More importantly, the hint certainly eliminates certain films from appearing. I'd rather go back to the hint free reveals.

I might try something different tonight. See how it works.

Thief

12-11-21, 04:03 PM

Critics

-

Critics on our #90, Almost Famous...

https://i.imgur.com/xwmOXLm.png

It currently has a 89% Certified Fresh Tomatometer score among critics, and a 7.9/10 score on IMDb (with 267,000 votes).

Roger Ebert gave it ★★★★ and said:

"Oh, what a lovely film. I was almost hugging myself while I watched it. "Almost Famous" is funny and touching in so many different ways."

Meanwhile Ed Gonzalez, of Slant, gave it ★★ and said:

"A film of this nature always hinges on some sort of tragic and/or cathartic drug- or alcohol-related hysteria, but whenever it comes it feels like an Afterschool Special. Almost Famous doesn’t go down that road, choosing always to stay blissful, which feels almost equally wrong and just as much a show of denial."

As for our MoFo reviewers, meatwadsprite said:

"This movie is busting at the seams with information, characters, emotions, music, and images. You are forced into it's train of thought and your opinions of the characters will change consistently: Almost Famous is a very well done film."

Thief

12-11-21, 04:08 PM

Critics

-

Critics on our #89, Juno...

https://i.imgur.com/ws5YsJH.png

It currently has a 94% Certified Fresh Tomatometer score among critics, and a 7.4/10 score on IMDb (with 506,000 votes).

Roger Ebert gave it ★★★★ and said:

"Jason Reitman's "Juno" is just about the best movie of the year. It is very smart, very funny and very touching; it begins with the pacing of a screwball comedy and ends as a portrait of characters we have come to love. Strange, how during Juno's hip dialogue and cocky bravado, we begin to understand the young woman inside, and we want to hug her."

Meanwhile Nick Schager, of Lessons of Darkness, gave it a C- and said:

"Far less funny and shrewd than Knocked Up, the year’s other comedic tale of unplanned pregnancy, Juno pretends to care about real-world situations but is really interested only in its own trendier-than-thou cleverness, an obnoxious fantasy vision of teendom slathered in self-satisfied snark."

As for our MoFo reviewers, TheUsualSuspect said:

"Juno is this years "Little Miss Sunshine". Full of heart and charm and will entertain you to no end. It has a great soundtrack to boot. The music fits the film perfectly with mood and story. When 2007 saw pirates, ogres and superheroes flying around, all it took was a 16 year old girl to win our hearts and our attention."

And Inconceivable said:

"This had a lot of good stuff going for it, such as the humour, I found myself laughing out loud for the most part, even though it's pretty hard to get that out of me. I really enjoyed the characters and their persona, like I said before they literally were a bunch of characters, and it's pretty funny and entertaining to watch them behave. The screenplay is what made this film so enjoyable so I gotta give the writers and the director a pat on the back for that."

Takoma11

12-11-21, 04:09 PM

I might try something different tonight. See how it works.

*crosses fingers* clues via interpretive dance, clues via interpretive dance, clues via interpretive dance *crosses fingers*

This next film is very much
https://c.tenor.com/92v44dS3JgwAAAAd/summerheightshigh-jamie.gif

Thief

12-11-21, 04:10 PM

Trailers

-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQXh_AaJXaM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0SKf0K3bxg

Thief

12-11-21, 04:11 PM

*crosses fingers* clues via interpretive dance, clues via interpretive dance, clues via interpretive dance *crosses fingers*

This next film is very much
https://c.tenor.com/92v44dS3JgwAAAAd/summerheightshigh-jamie.gif

https://c.tenor.com/SBwmmGRw8X8AAAAC/wee-bay-wee.gif

CosmicRunaway

12-11-21, 04:15 PM

This next film is very much[...]
I think it'll be more like
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/71/ed/73/71ed738aa01996f01be47697f042653c.gif

ueno_station54

12-11-21, 04:16 PM

Juno might have had the fastest cultural drop off I think I've ever seen lol. Surprised to see it on the list as a result but its a pretty alright film. Mostly carried by having Kimya Dawson in the soundtrack. Never seen Almost Famous, doesn't really look like my kinda jam. Think I've seen 5 of the films so far.

Takoma11

12-11-21, 04:18 PM

I think it'll be more like
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/71/ed/73/71ed738aa01996f01be47697f042653c.gif

You really think No Country for Old Men is going to place this low? Interesting!

Chypmunk

12-11-21, 04:20 PM

This next film is very much
https://c.tenor.com/92v44dS3JgwAAAAd/summerheightshigh-jamie.gif
I'll guess The School Of Rock?

Chypmunk

12-11-21, 04:21 PM

I think it'll be more like
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/71/ed/73/71ed738aa01996f01be47697f042653c.gif
NCfOM? It's clearly Kung Fu Panda imo.

Takoma11

12-11-21, 04:26 PM

NCfOM? It's clearly Kung Fu Panda imo.

Sure if you want to read the thing literally.

John Dumbear

12-11-21, 04:44 PM

Meanwhile Nick Schager, of Lessons of Darkness, gave it a C- and said:
"Far less funny and shrewd than Knocked Up,

This is when I quit reading...

Citizen Rules

12-11-21, 05:05 PM

I'll guess The School Of Rock?Now, there's a musical............that rocks!

jiraffejustin

12-11-21, 06:46 PM

I didn't know Juno still had fans.

KeyserCorleone

12-11-21, 08:28 PM

VERY IMPORTANT: Should I watch Almost Famous regular version or extended???

Citizen Rules

12-11-21, 08:29 PM

VERY IMPORTANT: Should I watch Almost Famous regular version or extended???Watch one, then watch the other...report back.;)

KeyserCorleone

12-11-21, 08:33 PM

Watch one, then watch the other...report back.;)

Not enough time for that, unfortunately.

Thief

12-11-21, 08:50 PM

Awards

-

Now to the awards received by Almost Famous...

Oscar for Best Original Screenplay (Cameron Crowe)
BAFTA for Best Original Screenplay (Crowe)
BAFTA for Best Sound
Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress (Kate Hudson)
Golden Globe for Best Film - Musical or Comedy
Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack Album
Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress (Hudson)

As for Juno, it won...

Oscar for Best Original Screenplay (Diablo Cody)
AFI Award for Movie of the Year
Artios Award for Outstanding Achievement in Casting
Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack Album
MTV Movie Award for Best Female Performance (Elliot Page)

Among many, many others.

Love the parallelism of these two winning some of the same awards (Best Screenplay Oscar, Grammy for Best Soundtrack). Serendipity :laugh:

mrblond

12-11-21, 09:06 PM

#90. Almost Famous

After I've been witnessing for more than a decade how popular among the American audience is the unknown for me Almost Famous, I finally saw it six months ago before my thread MoFo 2000 Film Chart (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?t=64356) where it was ranked #12 by the users in the forum.

Well, I understand how films like this catch the youngsters. I also watched it with kind of enjoyment, because of the music mostly, but aside of the few superb appearances by Hoffman and McDormand, the acting around the centered cute boy as a whole was miserable, almost amateurish which was quite disturbing. Not good directing, I can also say.

In this field, I would much more recommend the Cameron Crowe's earlier work Singles (https://www.movieforums.com/movies/11068-singles.html) which will last far longer and deeper in the cultural heritage, I think.

Never heard the film Juno.

Seen 5/12.

John Dumbear

12-11-21, 09:19 PM

I did think Fugit was a weak point, at first. But after a couple of re-viewings, I understood his innocence in the role and the casting.

This was re-enforced with his role in "Wristcutters: A Love Story". Another film that ended up on the cutting room floor.

rauldc14

12-11-21, 09:59 PM

Ah no clue after all. Good idea! :)

PHOENIX74

12-11-21, 10:27 PM

90. Almost Famous : Another blast from the Millennium countdown past. I've kind of seen Almost Famous in bits throughout the years. It's one of those films I just don't feel a great urge to see from start to finish. I reckon it's because I already feel jealous of the young guy it's about, who gets to hang out with an ultra-famous band and live a life of decadent and extravagant fun-filled freedom. I've been meaning to watch it in full so I can cross it off the list once and for all.

89. Juno : I really like Juno and it nearly made a few early versions of my list, but the all-out enthusiasm I used to have for it has cooled to the point where I now simply consider it to be a really good movie. Smart and funny script which gives Ellen (Elliot?) Page so many smart and sassy lines, and takes the hard edge away from teenage pregnancy but also explores some of the issues inherent in the decisions that must be made when it happens. I'm a big fan of Jason Bateman, J.K. Simmons and especially Rainn Wilson (Super is one of my all-time favourite movies.) Michael Cera is growing on me - and he plays his somewhat clueless and very much 'mid-teens mentally' character well. Jason Reitman is hit and miss for me - but I really loved Up in the Air, so he certainly has great abilities. I never meshed with screenwriter Diablo Cody's Tully, and haven't seen any of her other stuff. I heartily approve of Juno being on the list.

I'm 5/12

Thief

12-11-21, 11:16 PM

Trivia

-

Almost Famous

https://64.media.tumblr.com/4688b426fb65cf533eac3aef76808c93/tumblr_my4scufPxX1qite7lo2_1280.jpg

Did you know that...

Jack Black and Jon Favreau auditioned for the role of Lester Bangs, before Philip Seymour Hoffman was cast?
when Penny Lane (Kate Hudson) asks William (Patrick Fugit) if he'd like to go to Morocco with her, and he says, "Yes... ask me again", it was actually Fugit asking Hudson to ask her again for another take? Cameron Crowe liked it and kept it in the final cut.
the film budget for music was $3.5 million, which was significantly more than most films?
Brad Pitt and Sarah Polley were cast for the roles of Russell and Pennie Lane? Polley dropped to work in another project and Pitt agreed with Cameron that he wasn't the right fit. Kate Hudson, who was cast to play William's sister, then stepped in to play Pennie.

https://www.indiewire.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/almost-famous.png

Takoma11

12-11-21, 11:22 PM

Almost Famous is a big blind spot for me. No reason, just never super got me interested.

My memories of Juno are that (1) it managed to pull of an interesting line with the issue of abortion, because anti-abortion people liked that she didn't get one and pro-choice people liked that she had the option to consider it and (2) like everyone else who owned a stringed instrument, my roommate and I learned to play "Anyone Else" and frequently sang it as a duet, in part because it is REALLY easy to play and very short. I think it's a 3.5 film for me, but my impression is generally positive and I can see why its quirky humor and good cast would lead people to really like it.

Thief

12-11-21, 11:29 PM

Trivia

-

Juno

https://imagesvc.meredithcorp.io/v3/mm/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fstatic.onecms.io%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F14%2F2017%2F12%2F05%2F120517-juno-lead.jpg&q=85

Did you know that...

the hamburger phone in the film is owned by writer Diablo Cody?
Juno's line about finding a "cool" parent to her baby ("like a graphic designer") is oddly appropriate since both Elliot Page's father and Diablo Cody's ex-husband are graphic designers.
the film was shot in 31 days? This complicated director Jason Reitman's intention to use the four seasons to frame Juno's journey, and required a bit of trickery from the crew to mock each season (crew members throwing leaves for autumn, taking advantage of a fluke snowstorm in March for winter scenes, etc.)

https://thebeholder141.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/autumn-juno-spring-summer-winter-favim-com-122307.jpg

Thief

12-11-21, 11:32 PM

My memories of Juno are that (1) it managed to pull of an interesting line with the issue of abortion, because anti-abortion people liked that she didn't get one and pro-choice people liked that she had the option to consider it

Now that you mention it, as I was looking for trivia, I read this...

In an interview with The Guardian in May 2018, writer Diablo Cody said that the one thing she would have changed about the film is to make it clearer as to why Juno chooses not to have an abortion. She said "It was simply because she did not want to. It was not about any type of feeling that abortion was wrong - I'm pro choice." She also went on to say that the fact that some people have interpreted the movie as anti-choice is "upsetting."
In 2019, Diablo Cody said if she had to do it all over again, she would not have written Juno or would have made it a different story, because so many people have used it for a political agenda she does not agree with.

Thief

12-11-21, 11:50 PM

Ok, how about this for hints...

These are two different critics writing about #88

"In an age of technical advancements when filmmakers have circumvented ideas for synthetic visual thrills, here is a movie that plays like some decisive, brilliant rebellion to that pattern."
"Seems to linger in the realm of horror at the most inappropriate times, while also stifling the sense of adventure at equally inopportune moments"

As for #87...

"The story is difficult to follow, the dialogue is both juvenile and pretentious, the acting is thoroughly uneven, the look and feel of the film are essentially without character or personality, and its social outlook is disoriented at best."
"Great book, mediocre adaptation."

mark f

12-12-21, 12:16 AM

88 is Sunshine.

Takoma11

12-12-21, 12:16 AM

Now that you mention it, as I was looking for trivia, I read this...

In an interview with The Guardian in May 2018, writer Diablo Cody said that the one thing she would have changed about the film is to make it clearer as to why Juno chooses not to have an abortion. She said "It was simply because she did not want to. It was not about any type of feeling that abortion was wrong - I'm pro choice."

I thought it was pretty clear in the film, honestly. Juno herself is also pretty privileged in terms of her life circumstances, so it's not as big a deal for her to go through with an unwanted pregnancy.

Ok, how about this for hints...

These are two different critics writing about #88

"Seems to linger in the realm of horror at the most inappropriate times, while also stifling the sense of adventure at equally inopportune moments"

As for #87...

"The story is difficult to follow, the dialogue is both juvenile and pretentious, the acting is thoroughly uneven, the look and feel of the film are essentially without character or personality, and its social outlook is disoriented at best."
"Great book, mediocre adaptation."

I think that snarky (but sort of vague) critical reviews is a great way to approach the hints. 👍

I'm trying to think of 2000s book adaptations . . .

mark f

12-12-21, 12:18 AM

87 is Watchmen.

Captain Terror

12-12-21, 12:18 AM

"In an age of technical advancements when filmmakers have circumvented ideas for synthetic visual thrills, here is a movie that plays like some decisive, brilliant rebellion to that pattern."

Suburban Sasquatch!!

mark f

12-12-21, 12:19 AM

Oh, well. Same thing.

MovieBuffering

12-12-21, 01:45 AM

I'm sorry I laughed out loud when I saw staring Elliot Page on a movie about a teenage pregnancy. No hate just absurdity is the new normal.

Just missed the memo on this countdown by a day. Oh well. So far my favorite has been Almost Famous. Freaking dig the hell out of that flick. It was number 21 on my 101 favorite films 2 years ago.

What kind of beer? <3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSshSnMAtiY

KeyserCorleone

12-12-21, 10:25 AM

One could just google parts of the reviews to know the movies before the reveal.

honeykid

12-12-21, 10:41 AM

Not seen Juno (but of course I own it :D) but I did see Almost Famous a couple of times when released. Thought it was OK at best. I really didn't get the love for it or the vibe from it. :shrug:

rauldc14

12-12-21, 11:28 AM

88. Sunshine
87. Watchmen

Stop the clues please. :)

John Dumbear

12-12-21, 11:39 AM

One could just google parts of the reviews to know the movies before the reveal.

https://y.yarn.co/7e2b84d9-24ae-4dd3-9499-e5f08c8da6fa_text.gif

Thief

12-12-21, 11:56 AM

One could just google parts of the reviews to know the movies before the reveal.

Yeah, but what's the fun in that? One trusts people to, well, not do that :shrug:

Pussy Galore

12-12-21, 12:06 PM

I like Almost Famous a lot, it's a very entertaining film. The music by the fake band Stillwater, particularly the song ''fever dog'' is quite good, I have it on my iPod haha. Other then that, I have a hard time sometime to understand how they sometime consider this teenager as an adult. Still very entertaining.

I saw Juno once a long time ago and I remember disliking it, but have no memory why.

KeyserCorleone

12-12-21, 12:11 PM

Yeah, but what's the fun in that? One trusts people to, well, not do that :shrug:

It's not just that. Those kinds of reviews could be for practically any movie, making it nearly impossible to guess. I prefer the poems. I've been thinking of clues and poems for movies I think will appear on this list myself.

KeyserCorleone

12-12-21, 12:50 PM

Forgot to add this: Almost Famous.

I saw the original version. I'll end up comparing it to the bootleg cut later, but I've got other things to watch. Lemme say that even though I would've liked to see more Kate Hudson in this version, it had a lot of spirit. I'm a huge music fan, so seeing people go through all of that old vinyl nearly put me in a state of euphoria. Jason Lee was my favorite performer in this. He's a good actor, but this one came so damn naturally to him! I wasn't ENTIRELY pleased with the ending, but most of the resolved issues worked out fine. I just wish McDormand's character got some more growth.

92.

I had enough time for five movies yesterday. I also got through Goliath Vs. the Vampires, Hellraiser 3, Guy Ritchie's King Arthur (I need to watch Snatch because I'm sure it'll pop up sooner or later), and my favorite of those four: Tank Girl.

Citizen Rules

12-12-21, 01:04 PM

It's not just that. Those kinds of reviews could be for practically any movie, making it nearly impossible to guess. I prefer the poems. I've been thinking of clues and poems for movies I think will appear on this list myself. I like the regular clues, maybe Thief can make them a bit harder. It's OK if people sometimes can guess 1 movie correctly, they occasional could guest correctly when Yoda hosted and he did the poetic hints, that's the fun of it.

Yoda

12-12-21, 01:11 PM

Eh, there was some talk that the clues on the refresh list were too hard, but virtually every time at least someone guessed right. By definition a reasonable level of difficulty will result in some users finding some too hard, since everyone's different. It's not supposed to be guessable by everyone every time, since the only way to do that is to make it too obvious.

Also, too hard is better than too easy, since at worst it just means there's effectively no clue.

SpelingError

12-12-21, 01:14 PM

Yay, I managed to wake up before Thief posted the next couple entries for once!

KeyserCorleone

12-12-21, 01:16 PM

Maybe, but I think posting review clips could effectively count for pretty much any movie that has many similar reviews, which could be thousands upon thousands of movies regardless of the decade "filter" put on the list. I feel like hints that are closer to the themes of the movies make things a little more fun. To me it's like the difference between a challenging Easter egg hunt and a needle in a haystack.

Takoma11

12-12-21, 01:25 PM

88. Sunshine
87. Watchmen

Stop the clues please. :)

You could always . . . not read the clues?

mark f

12-12-21, 01:30 PM

Don't worry about me. I won't respond to any clues again. :cool:

Thief

12-12-21, 01:34 PM

Sorry for the delay. Reveals in a couple of minutes.

Thief

12-12-21, 01:36 PM

76 points, 7 listsSunshine (https://www.movieforums.com/movies/1272-sunshine.html)Director
Danny Boyle, 2007

Starring
Cillian Murphy, Rose Byrne, Chris Evans, Michelle Yeoh

Thief

12-12-21, 01:36 PM

77 points, 5 listsWatchmen (https://www.movieforums.com/movies/13183-watchmen.html)Director
Zack Snyder, 2009

Starring
Malin Åkerman, Billy Crudup, Matthew Goode, Jackie Earle Haley

Thief

12-12-21, 01:37 PM

There you go, people. Have at it.

KeyserCorleone

12-12-21, 01:42 PM

Danny Boyle. Looks like there are two movies I legitimately have to get through today to keep up with exploring directors I'm familiar with instead of trying out new ones all the time.

I've only seen two Danny Boyle films: 28 Days Later and Trainspotting. I wasn't in love with Trainspotting the way most were, but I'm not denying it was a fun, frantic and tense experience. 28 Days Later, however, is my favorite of the two. It made the zombie genre exciting again for the first two acts, even though the third was a little predictable.

As for Snyder, I'm not really into his style, so I haven't explored him very thoroughly. Man of Steel was pretty typical for a superhero movie, but I liked how Superman actually had to deal with a THREAT this time, and it was more human than the average superhero fodder we got in those times. 300 was just Snyder's excuse to jack off over his own directorial style, but it was fun. It reminds me... I need to replay The 300 Spartans. Army of the Dead was a pretty fun zombie movie which had some interesting ideas that were a bit different from usual zombie movies, even though it was essentially in character and plot the same thing as Aliens.

John Dumbear

12-12-21, 01:42 PM

Not a fan of comic book movies and never heard of "Sunshine". Have to check that one out.

Citizen Rules

12-12-21, 01:44 PM

Seen 1 of the 2.

Sunshine...really liked it, except for that one scene;) I did considered it for my list. Glad to see it make the countdown!

Miss Vicky

12-12-21, 01:51 PM

I haven’t seen either one and have no desire to see them.

I’m getting really worried my number 1 isn’t going to show. :(

mark f

12-12-21, 01:52 PM

I found Sunshine to be well-crafted, beautifully-shot, engagingly-acted, and modestly exciting and suspenseful. I recommend the film, but I also found it to be unoriginal, occasionally uninvolving and straining to be significant.

I'll admit that I don't know anything about the graphic novel, but I'm not "reviewing" the novel. I can't explain it to you, but something about the beginning of Watchmen completely rubbed me the wrong way. The montage over the opening credits seemed to lavish a lot of money and F/X to explain to me that I was in an alternate universe, but I usually take all movies as an alternate universe. When the credits ended, I was already rebelling against it, thinking it was much ado about nothing, and trust me, I never have these kind of thoughts for movies of most any kind after about 10 minutes. Anyway, then the film started to actually introduce the characters and I found them to be completely uninvolving, so I scrunched down in my seat a bit and decided it was going to be a long haul of a movie.

Eventually, I got used to the characters, even if I never cared about most of them, but the film played out with some fun acknowledgements to the old Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon serials, especially in the heroes' uniforms and modes of transportation (the "Archie"). On the other hand, the non-hero sides (the more human) of the characters didn't really strike me as interesting enough to be the focus of a movie, no matter how many there were and how many versions of them there were. However, Snyder's style and seeming love of the material did make the second half of the film play out more entertaining to me, so it's a mixed bag but a :up:. I'm going to shut up about it now because I'm just spinning my wheels.

MovieFan1988

12-12-21, 01:52 PM

Only seen Watchmen, it was an okay movie, not a fan of it myself

Deschain

12-12-21, 01:54 PM

I like Sunshine. It’s a good serious sci-fi movie that we don’t a lot of anymore.

I saw Watchmen before I read the comic and thought it was fine. Reading the comic made me realize it’s supposed to be a satire and the movie kinda missed the mark on that front. The HBO Watchmen show is damn good too for what it’s worth.

SpelingError

12-12-21, 01:55 PM

Sunshine was #23 on my ballot. Through its high levels of suspense and the various technical qualities (the visuals and the terrific soundtrack), it's able to craft a variety of exciting and thrilling sci-fi/action sequences which, instead of having diminishing returns when you rewatch them, actually maintain their emotional and technical power and, in some ways, get better for me the more I watch the film. Interestingly enough, this is actually the first film I ever reviewed and, by that means, the film which got me into film, so it holds a nostalgic place in my heart. I'm not as down on the film as I was several years ago (it use to be in my top 5 favorite films of all time), but I still respect the hell out of the film's craft.

It's hard talking about Sunshine though without mentioning its love-it-or-hate-it final act. Granted, its final act won't work for everyone, but I'm a big fan of it. If you pay close attention, you'll see that the final act is alluded to earlier in the film with how the sun acts as a drug for the crew members who view it the most, how Searle's face shows more and more wear and tear as the film goes on, the foreshadowing when they find a video broadcast from a crew member on Icarus 1 in the middle of the film, and how there's an implication that the closer you are to the sun, the more it warps your mind. The tonal shift might be too much for some people when they watch it the first time, but knowing that the final act is part of the point of the film and that its not just some run-of-the-mill idea that was introduced right on the spot might make it an easier pill to swallow. Plus, the Capa's jump scene in the final act is an outstanding scene which ranks among my favorite science fiction scenes ever, so that alone makes it impressive. Personally, I think the final act is just as strong as what comes before it, though I can understand someone not enjoying it.

I haven't seen Watchmen.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23. Sunshine (#88)
24.
25. The New World (#99)

CosmicRunaway

12-12-21, 01:56 PM

I've seen both films this time, but voted for neither.

Sunshine is a film I've been meaning to rewatch ever since I first saw it. I remember thinking it was just okay, but seem to have no recollection of the ending. However whenever I consider watching it again, my roommate manages to convince me not to.

I wasn't impressed by Watchmen when I saw it in theatres, and when I rewatched it later, I had a similar opinion. I definitely prefer the HBO series.

Seen: 6/14

My List:
08. Mother (2009) - #96
25. Bon Cop, Bad Cop (2006) - 1-pointer

The Rodent

12-12-21, 02:02 PM

Watchmen was my #22 :)

Coulda sworn I put Sunshine on my list as well but seems I overlooked it.

Yoda

12-12-21, 02:10 PM

Not a fan of comic book movies and never heard of "Sunshine". Have to check that one out.
I wrote this in another thread awhile back, but it's really been kind of amazing how, over the last few years, Sunshine has kinda disappeared from discussion. It's a really good movie that deserves a lot more attention, but I think it just disappeared into the many disaster/space-themed films that've come out in the last decade or so, even while it doesn't really feel like any of them and describing it as such doesn't even seem accurate, tonally.

Sunshine was my #6 film, and my review of it is here (https://www.movieforums.com/reviews/1081592-sunshine.html).

From the very first scene, director Danny Boyle makes it clear that the sun is as terrifying as it is beautiful. Boyle makes a point to establish its enormity and power from the outset, and in doing so, adds an extra layer of tension to everything which comes afterwards.

KeyserCorleone

12-12-21, 02:13 PM

Well, the extended version of an already lengthy movie, Watchmen, is considered much better than the original. Which means I need to set away five and a half hours for movies today because I plan on watching Batman vs. Superman, too. Beautiful, helpful weekends.

seanc

12-12-21, 02:22 PM

Another pair of pretty good first time watches not in a hurry to see them again movies.

Takoma11

12-12-21, 02:27 PM

I really like Sunshine, and while I get why some people aren't pleased that its tone shifts, I actually see it as just fulfilling something that's been building the whole time. I also think that the cast is really great.

I saw Watchmen in the theater and while I probably would have thought it was just fine, the people around me were NOT into it, which left an impression. After about the 30 minute mark, the vibe in the room was just one of disappointment and impatience.

KeyserCorleone

12-12-21, 02:30 PM

In relation to Watchmen, does anybody know where I can find the theatrical cut of Batman Vs. Superman? All these sites are giving me are the extended version (I'm not sitting through 3 hours of it), and I don't remember what the thread for streaming recommendations was called. PM me if you have a link.

pahaK

12-12-21, 02:42 PM

This time I've seen both. I don't remember much about Sunshine, but I'm pretty sure I didn't like the change of tone (or genre) towards the end. I guess it was OK, but it's one of those films I've been meaning to watch again.

Watchmen, on the other hand, is probably the best comic book adaptation ever. I like Snyder's style, and in here he's in top form. The extended version is even better. I had this at #5 on my ballot.

Seen: 6/14

My Ballot:
5. Watchmen (2009) [#87]
25. Harry Brown (2009) [1-pointer]

Harry Lime

12-12-21, 02:48 PM

88. Sunshine
87. Watchmen

Stop the clues please. :)
Yeah a big +1 from me on that. Someone said don't read the clues but if you go through the thread in order as you normally would you're going to see them or at least see people's guesses, which seem to be correct most of the time, making the reveal redundant when they do get posted. That's at least my perspective.

edit: As for the movies I really like Sunshine but it didn't make my list. I tried rewatching Watchmen after the tv series but didn't really get through it for whatever reason. I don't dislike it but more split on it, pros and cons

Derek Vinyard

12-12-21, 02:51 PM

Two very good film that didn't make my list!

Allaby

12-12-21, 02:57 PM

Watchmen was great, smart and entertaining, 8/10 from me. I didn’t like Sunshine at all, a 5/10.

Chypmunk

12-12-21, 02:59 PM

I'd like Sunshine more if it didn't go so batsh*t-crazy in the final third, only an 'ok' watch for me. Never been much of a fan of Watchmen. At least the diet is going well now though.

Seen: 7/14 (Own: 5/14)

3. Madeo [Mother] (2009) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1216496/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_9) [#96]
25. The Pool (2007) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0911024/?ref_=fn_tt_tt_6) [1-ptr]

Faildictions (millennial edition v1.0):
86. Coraline (2009)
85. Quills (2000)

Iroquois

12-12-21, 03:06 PM

I'm sorry I laughed out loud when I saw staring Elliot Page on a movie about a teenage pregnancy. No hate just absurdity is the new normal.

Still sounds a little like hate, but one step at a time, I suppose.

No votes. I've seen Sunshine at least a couple of times and thought it was solid stuff, but I don't think it's really stuck all that well over the years (and I say that as someone who's willing to forgive its third-act twist, at least enough to roll my eyes when the allegedly superior Interstellar pulled a pointedly similar trick). Boyle crafts a lean mean genre exercise, sure, but maybe too lean and mean for its own good.

Watchmen, on the other hand...hmm. I guess we're still in the early days where cult gems can crack the tail end of the list with just a handful of high votes, but even by those standards I wasn't expecting Watchmen. Even though I saw it three times in theatres and gave it a 4/5 review and watched it as recently as this year (first time watching the ultimate cut to boot, though that was very much a "one and done" experience where the extra material arguably subtracted more than it added), I would not consider it a favourite. The book is one of my all-time favourite pieces of literature and it's fascinating to see how Snyder rapidly alternates between nailing and bungling the adaptation process on a scene-by-scene (sometimes even cut-by-cut) basis, which does make the film a vital artifact within the superhero sub-genre but not something I'd consider a genuine classic on its own terms.

Yoda

12-12-21, 03:18 PM

I really like Sunshine, and while I get why some people aren't pleased that its tone shifts, I actually see it as just fulfilling something that's been building the whole time. I also think that the cast is really great.
Still not sure what I think of that. I like it more (or dislike it less?) than I did the first time. But more to the point, the rest of the films is so good that I could hate a scene or two in it thoroughly and still remain deeply impressed with the film as a whole.

In particular, I think of Sunshine as one of the films that showed the next generation of filmmakers what they could do with something less than a blockbuster budget. The sense of scale and scope it generates with so little is kind of amazing.

The fact that its music has found its way into other people's trailers for a solid decade straight says a lot about its overall quality, too. The score is exceptional.

cricket

12-12-21, 03:23 PM

It's not that long ago that I've seen Sunshine and I can't remember a single thing about it.

I've not seen Watchmen.

Holden Pike

12-12-21, 03:25 PM

83390

Danny Boyle's Sunshine was #71 on the MoFo Top 100 of the Millennium List. Snyder's Watchmen did not place.

The Rodent

12-12-21, 03:30 PM

I did a review of Sunshine a while back and touched upon what I think throws a lot of people... it's not exactly sci-fi.

They hired physicist Prf. Brian Cox as a consultant for the movie, and he kept telling them no when they wanted to do something outlandish.
He also helped in writing some of the aesthetics of the movie as well, like helping with the ship design, and the technology needed for the movie's mission.
Basically Sunshine is sci-fi-sci-fact.

Cox also goes into a long speech in the movie commentary about super-symmetrical particles that would cause the Sun to die so rapidly.
His influence on the movie's in-universe science is most noticeable during the establishing shots and scenes at the start.
It's very accurate, understated, and I think it tends to push people out of the movie because they're expecting a far-out actiony sci-fi blast'em up.

Cillian Murphy also based his character directly on Prf. Brian Cox as well, even his mannerisms and facial expressions.

Rockatansky

12-12-21, 03:43 PM

I enjoyed Sunshine when I saw it, but remember little about it.

Watchmen is an admirable attempt to bring to the screen a dense work that doesn't lend itself easily to adaptation, but I found a lot of Snyder's choices obvious or awkward.

rauldc14

12-12-21, 03:59 PM

I haven’t seen either one and have no desire to see them.

I’m getting really worried my number 1 isn’t going to show. :(

Number 1 is for sure out for me. Number 2 and 3 is growing worry with me.

mattiasflgrtll6

12-12-21, 04:02 PM

I almost tend to prefer my choices showing up early on a list since if they don't I start to worry none of them will appear at all. So far there haven't been any, though The Diving Bell And The Butterfly was a close call.

Takoma11

12-12-21, 05:11 PM

In particular, I think of Sunshine as one of the films that showed the next generation of filmmakers what they could do with something less than a blockbuster budget. The sense of scale and scope it generates with so little is kind of amazing.

I have always admired it for the way that it portrays the dynamics between the characters. These are all people who went on a mission knowing they might not (probably wouldn't?) survive, and they are committed. Evans' character, who is seen as being abrasive, repeatedly shows his commitment to the mission, even at times to his own detriment, such as when he insists that Murphy's character is more important to the mission and thus gets the space suit when they have to jump between the ships, or when he repeatedly goes into the freezing water to unjam the mechanism.

I think that it captures, like you say, a lot of scale and scope, and it also helps you feel what these characters must be feeling in terms of both a sense of urgency and a sense of vulnerability.

Yoda

12-12-21, 05:25 PM

I have always admired it for the way that it portrays the dynamics between the characters. These are all people who went on a mission knowing they might not (probably wouldn't?) survive, and they are committed. Evans' character, who is seen as being abrasive, repeatedly shows his commitment to the mission, even at times to his own detriment, such as when he insists that Murphy's character is more important to the mission and thus gets the space suit when they have to jump between the ships, or when he repeatedly goes into the freezing water to unjam the mechanism.

I think that it captures, like you say, a lot of scale and scope, and it also helps you feel what these characters must be feeling in terms of both a sense of urgency and a sense of vulnerability.
Yes, totally agree. This is actually something I loved when I first saw it but completely left my mind until you mentioned it.

I think, if we just read the screenplay, we'd think the characters are a little on the thin side. That they feel reasonably vivid is a testament to the intangible and surprising benefits that come with casting really, really well, and Sunshine is definitely filled with really talented people. Deep interactions and reactions can be just as good or better than deep character backstories or nuance, or whatever single aspect of good character writing is nowadays being confused with good character writing in total.

Takoma11

12-12-21, 05:33 PM

I think, if we just read the screenplay, we'd think the characters are a little on the thin side. That they feel reasonably vivid is a testament to the intangible and surprising benefits that come with casting really, really well, and Sunshine is definitely filled with really talented people. Deep interactions and reactions can be just as good or better than deep character backstories or nuance, or whatever single aspect of good character writing is nowadays being confused with good character writing in total.

Agreed. The cast feel incredibly solid and real, and I was a big fan of Yeoh's understated role as the person in charge of the living oxygen recycling system.

One of my personal associations with this film is that I was driving from DC to Iowa (or Iowa to DC?) which I usually did in one go. But for some reason I was checking into a hotel at like 1am. I have a duct-tape wallet (still ticking! Since 2002!) with a picture of Cillian Murphy on it from 28 Days Later. (My sister made me the wallet after we saw the latter film in the theater). The clerk at the hotel was like, "Is that Cillian Murphy?" and I said, "Yeah, it's a shot from 28 Days Later." And he said, "He's in that new movie, Sunshine, with Rose Byrne. Have you see it yet?" And I had and we geeked out about it in that way you do when it's the middle of the night and you're slightly delirious.

Thief

12-12-21, 05:53 PM

I've been busy all day with the family and then a podcast interview, hence my lack of presence :D

Anyway, some quick thoughts on each... I really liked Sunshine, but I'm one of those that was a bit turned off by the third act. But it's been 10+ years since I saw it, and I've read several readings and analysis about it that make me think I might appreciate it more now. Some day I will rewatch it.

As for Watchmen, a bit of a lengthier story, but I had never read the graphic novel nor seen the film until 2019. Back then, an online friend (was it you, ThatDarnMKS?) recommended me to read the graphic novel, so knowing how much praise it gets, I checked it out and ended up reading it twice in a month. For someone who's not that much into comics, that's quite something. I still think it is one of the most impressive pieces of entertainment I've seen or read.

With that said, when I saw the film, I found it extremely overwhelming. Not only because it failed to capture the scope of the novel, but also because it pretty much missed the whole point of it, especially in a key character like Rorschach. This is a tidbit from my review...

"Despite Snyder's apparent appreciation of the source material, the way he adapts it indicates there seems to be a misunderstanding of the general themes and goals of the comic book, which range from a general deconstruction of the traditional superhero by presenting them all as flawed individuals and not 'uber-cool bad-asses' to a misrepresentation of the motivations, the psyche, the nature of some of the main characters, most notably Rorschach. On the contrary, Snyder seems more interested in portraying kick-ass heroes and extreme violence with little of the subtlety and nuance of the novel."

You can read my full review here (https://letterboxd.com/thief12/film/watchmen/). Sure, I know we're not reviewing the novel, but even if I take the film at face value, the performances are uneven or downright bad, especially Malin Åkerman; and there's an issue with pacing and flow from one setpiece to the other, which feels kinda clunky.

Thief

12-12-21, 06:00 PM

As for the hints, they're always bound to be guessable. That's why they are hints. If we wanted to make them "unguessable", then I would just post a random word from the script and let you all pelt me with guesses :laugh: I know some of you expect them, and even asked for them, others don't like them, or simply don't want them... some of you liked the change I did last night of using excerpts from reviews, while others thought it was dumb. At the end of the day, there's no way to make you all happy, so I will just carry on the way it was planned, and keep throwing them out. I will continue to find ways to keep it varied (not just rhymes and poems) and maybe a bit harder, but then again, there's always the possibility of someone guessing them because, well, that's the point of a hint ;)

Chypmunk

12-12-21, 06:10 PM

Why not have a spin-off thread purely for the hints and people's guesses? Those that want that aspect can still enjoy it, those that don't can just stay well away from that thread. It can be a bit difficult to parse out both the hints and any guesses when in the same thread as the countdown if one likes to read what everyone says about the countdown entries.

Merely a thought.

Takoma11

12-12-21, 06:32 PM

Okay

12-12-21, 06:57 PM

Thief

12-12-21, 07:04 PM

My list so far...

4. Funny Games (2007) not placing anywhere
13. Mother (2009) placed at #96
22. Almost Famous (2000) placed at #90
25. Irreversible (2002) not placing lol

Decided to add my #4 and #25 since they have a "Rotten" score on Rotten Tomatoes, and according to Thief everything that's left on the list is at least "Fresh"

Overall, seen 4/14

D'oh! Maybe that was a bit too much for my part to say :laugh: but we're way too early in the list, so I heartily ask you all to not reveal anything from your list, even if you're positive it won't place.

(Not a jab at you, really)

rauldc14

12-12-21, 07:18 PM

Yeah I thought we couldn't unveil anything until set in stone. Okays list disqualified! (Unless he chose films the same as me, in which case, totally acceptable!)

mattiasflgrtll6

12-12-21, 07:28 PM

My list so far:
0/25

Sigh.

Give me some hope, Meg.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rI4NBcGF9c

Thief

12-12-21, 09:24 PM

Critics

-

Critics thoughts on #88, Sunshine...

https://i.imgur.com/fQfOCyR.png

It currently has a 77% Certified Fresh Tomatometer score among critics, and a 7.2/10 score on IMDb (with 243,000 votes).

Roger Ebert gave it ★★★ and said:

"The interactions are the weakest elements in "Sunshine," which is strongest when it focuses on the sheer enormity of the mission and its consequences."

Meanwhile Steven Rea, of the Philadelphia Inquirer, gave it ★★½ and said:

"At a certain point, like a dying star about to pop into eternal nothingness, the movie can't be seen as anything -- it just implodes."

As for our MoFo reviewers, Yoda said:

"It is not a revolutionary film, but its watchlike precision is evident throughout, and it runs a clinic on what disaster films ought to be like."

On the other hand, Optimus said:

"Overall I didn’t enjoy Sunshine. It left quite an uneasy feeling in me that I can’t quite explain. It was just a very strange and unusual movie that I haven’t experienced before. I did like the musical moments and some of the visual stuff, but that’s about it. I think this movie is kind of like marmite. If you like it then like it, but if you hate then you hate it. And judging by a lot of reviews their isn’t much of a in between."

Thief

12-12-21, 09:32 PM

Critics

-

And critics thoughts on #87, Watchmen...

https://i.imgur.com/woclAh6.png

It currently has a 65% Fresh Tomatometer score among critics, and a 7.6/10 score on IMDb (with 530,000 votes).

Roger Ebert gave it ★★★★ and said:

"It’s a compelling visceral film — sound, images and characters combined into a decidedly odd visual experience that evokes the feel of a graphic novel. It seems charged from within by its power as a fable; we sense it’s not interested in a plot so much as with the dilemma of functioning in a world losing hope."

Meanwhile Kaleem Aftab, of The National, said:

"The failure of this very faithful adaptation highlights the fact that to capture the spirit of a comic book, a film must do more than bring a collection of still frames to life."

As for our MoFo reviewers, The Rodent said:

"Next to Nolan's Batman, it's close to being one of the best hero type films. Hard to get into to start with due to not being a 'regular' Superhero movie, but give it a go, it's simply a lot of fun with flashy effects backed up by a fantastically original story."

On the other hand, Holden Pike said:

"It's a spectacle, to be sure, but I don't think it's much more than that. Certainly better than the visual-only exercise of 300, but considering the source material not as much as it should have been."

Thief

12-12-21, 09:33 PM

Trailers

-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8v_8TyP-XDs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wglmbroElU0

Thief

12-12-21, 09:41 PM

Yeah I thought we couldn't unveil anything until set in stone. Okays list disqualified! (Unless he chose films the same as me, in which case, totally acceptable!)

:laugh:

For what it's worth, it *is* in the rules on the Preliminary Thread (https://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?t=64722)...

No peeking! Anyone who reveals their submitted list before the countdown has ended will be disqualified.

But I'm sure it was an inoffensive mistake with no malice. Right, Okay?

https://i.imgflip.com/7ta69.jpg

Thief

12-12-21, 09:46 PM

Awards

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The awards received by Sunshine...

British Independent Film Award for Best Technical Achievement
Nominated to several Satellite, Empire, and film festival awards.

As for Watchmen, it won...

Saturn Award for Best Fantasy Film
Saturn Award for Best Costume (Michael Wilkinson)
Saturn Award for Best Special Edition DVD Release (Watchmen: The Ultimate Cut)
Scream Award for Best Comic Book Movie

Thief

12-12-21, 10:02 PM

Trivia

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Sunshine

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/2f/Worcester_Cold_Storage_1999.jpg

Did you know that...

before committing to Sunshine, Boyle was attached to direct an adaptation of the book 3000 Degrees, based on the events of the Worcester Warehouse fire? That film later became Ladder 49.
Boyle had the members of the cast living together to create a sense of camaraderie? He also took them to method acting classes, space training, scuba diving, a tour of a nuclear submarine, and zero G training, while also encouraging them to watch films together.
Boyle was so impressed with Michelle Yeoh's audition that she let her chose whatever role she wanted to perform? He was even ready to change the gender if she chose a male character.

https://medias.spotern.com/spots/w640/51/51053-1532336916.jpg

Thief

12-12-21, 10:10 PM

Trivia

-

Watchmen

https://heroichollywood.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Jackie-Earle-Healy-Watchmen.jpg

Did you know that...

Jackie Earle Haley was the only member of the cast familiar with the source material? He openly campaigned for the role of Rorschach.
neither Matthew Goode nor Patrick Wilson were familiar with the graphic novel? Both had good friends that were familiar with it, though, and both asked their respective friends for advice on whether they should take the role, with both friends strongly encouraging them to do so.
when Alan Moore, author of the graphic novel, was asked about the upcoming adaptation, he said "Do we really need another ****ty film in the world?" Moore has always been against any adaptation of the material saying that Watchmen is "unfilmable".

https://static3.cbrimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/alan-moore-watchmen-header.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=767&h=450&dpr=1.5

Thief

12-12-21, 10:17 PM

Ok, shhh... here are tomorrow's hints :shifty:

Entry #87 is somewhere on the Top 10 of longest titles of the countdown... but it's not the longest.

Its director had already won an Oscar... but not for directing.

On the other hand, entry #86 is on the Bottom 10 of shortest titles of the countdown... but it's not the shortest.

And its director has never won an Oscar, but was nominated for two sometime after this film.

Ta-ta

SpelingError

12-12-21, 10:57 PM

If we wanted to make them "unguessable", then I would just post a random word from the script and let you all pelt me with guesses :laugh:

Hint: Tomorrow's movie has the word "the" in the script.

StuSmallz

12-12-21, 11:27 PM

Hint: Tomorrow's movie has the word "the" in the script.
https://i.ibb.co/4SnDsDZ/spoileralert.gif (https://imgbb.com/)

KeyserCorleone

12-13-21, 12:15 AM

Watchmen was mindblowing, not necessarily as a superhero flick but as a Snyder flick. He was perfect for adapting something unfilmable. Excellent plotting, great characters, heavy sfx with a purpose and especially that final plot twist at the very end... BOOM! I was SO happy about that twist.
I took Rorshach's side.

And the noirish vibe wasn't overdone. And the tints for each scene were perfect, not reliant one one tint throughout like the blue of Underworld or the 300 gold.

96. I didn't think I'd give it a 96, but I am.

Also watched Batman vs. Superman, the extended edition. I liked the morality delivery, which is something Superman's missing, and I've noticed that Snyder seems to keep Superman's adversaries as a real threat, which Superman also needs. But it was overlong and over epic, obviously built for setting up other movies.

62.

Now I'm halfway through Sucker Punch. Final film before sleeping.

ynwtf

12-13-21, 12:55 AM

Harry Lime

12-13-21, 01:08 AM

Hint: Tomorrow's movie has the word "the" in the script.
Attack of the Clones

mattiasflgrtll6

12-13-21, 01:36 AM

The Fog.

rauldc14

12-13-21, 01:52 AM

I'm going to skip reading the hints. Hopefully people can spoiler tag their guesses.

Rockatansky

12-13-21, 02:00 AM

when Alan Moore, author of the graphic novel, was asked about the upcoming adaptation, he said "Do we really need another ****ty film in the world?" Moore has always been against any adaptation of the material saying that Watchmen is "unfilmable".

IIRC the only adaptation of his work he likes is the Justice League Unlimited episode "For the Man Who Has Everything".

gbgoodies

12-13-21, 02:27 AM

I tried watching Almost Famous for this countdown, but I turned it off after about a half hour. I didn't like the music, and I just wasn't enjoying the movie.

I watched Juno for this countdown, and I liked it a lot. It was on my list for a while, but it just got pushed off as I watched more movies. I'm glad to see that it made the countdown without my help.

I saw Sunshine a while back, and I was enjoying it for most of the movie, but when it took a turn from a good sci-fi to a horror movie, I didn't care for it anymore. I didn't think it made sense to rewatch it for this countdown because it wasn't likely to make my list anyway.

Watchmen is another movie that I saw a long time ago, but I didn't think it made sense to rewatch it for the countdown because it wouldn't make my list anyway. (If I'm remembering the right movie), it was too dark and too violent for my taste.

I have both Sunshine and Watchmen on DVD, so I could give these movies another chance someday.

StuSmallz

12-13-21, 02:37 AM

As for Watchmen, a bit of a lengthier story, but I had never read the graphic novel nor seen the film until 2019. Back then, an online friend (was it you, ThatDarnMKS?) recommended me to read the graphic novel, so knowing how much praise it gets, I checked it out and ended up reading it twice in a month. For someone who's not that much into comics, that's quite something. I still think it is one of the most impressive pieces of entertainment I've seen or read.

With that said, when I saw the film, I found it extremely overwhelming. Not only because it failed to capture the scope of the novel, but also because it pretty much missed the whole point of it, especially in a key character like Rorschach. This is a tidbit from my review...

"Despite Snyder's apparent appreciation of the source material, the way he adapts it indicates there seems to be a misunderstanding of the general themes and goals of the comic book, which range from a general deconstruction of the traditional superhero by presenting them all as flawed individuals and not 'uber-cool bad-asses' to a misrepresentation of the motivations, the psyche, the nature of some of the main characters, most notably Rorschach. On the contrary, Snyder seems more interested in portraying kick-ass heroes and extreme violence with little of the subtlety and nuance of the novel."

You can read my full review here (https://letterboxd.com/thief12/film/watchmen/). Sure, I know we're not reviewing the novel, but even if I take the film at face value, the performances are uneven or downright bad, especially Malin Åkerman; and there's an issue with pacing and flow from one setpiece to the other, which feels kinda clunky.Pretty much, since Watchmen was both faithful to a fault (like preserving the endless cutting back-and-forth during The Comedian's funeral, something that worked far better in the comic format, which tends to be less sensitive to the issues of pacing that a movie is), while also completely missing the whole point of the comic's deconstruction of superhero mythos, like when Snyder took one panel of this...

https://i.ibb.co/TH9RP8c/20211212-164631.jpg (https://imgbb.com/)

...and turned it into this:

https://youtu.be/qKf7qkoT_RU

pahaK

12-13-21, 03:44 AM

Unpopular opinion (it seems): Snyder's Watchmen is better than the original comic book (and the comic book is much better than the HBO's series, which I never even finished).

dadgumblah

12-13-21, 05:33 AM

Unpopular opinion (it seems): Snyder's Watchmen is better than the original comic book (and the comic book is much better than the HBO's series, which I never even finished).

I'm right there with you pahaK in liking it better than the comic. While the comic book is very good and I can see the brilliance of it, I liked the movie better as entertainment, which it has to be in some way for me to like it. And the movie delivered that in spades. I loved Jackie Earle Haley and Jeffrey Dean Morgan the most in the movie, but I thought everyone was fine.

I've seen all of the latest four reveals and liked every one of them. I guess I enjoyed Juno the best because it had the "feels" in it, and it also had two of my loves, Jennifer Garner and Olivia Thirlby in it. Plus, it's got J.K. Simmons. I mean, I stop what I'm doing even when his insurance commercials are on, the guy is so compelling.

Still, no joy for me as of yet. But I figure several to get in there as we get about midway at least (or I'm hoping!). :)

mrblond

12-13-21, 07:57 AM

#87. Watchmen / #88. Sunshine - another portion of movies I've never heard and for what I see about them, I'm not interested at all.

Seen 5/14.
My list entries 0/25.

By the way, thanks to this countdown, I was hit by desire to rewatch The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou and I did it yesterday- my second watch since I saw it for the first time about 7 years ago.
Yes, as I've said before, it is too experimental to make my ballot but what a great visuals. Absolute pleasure.

Tugg

12-13-21, 09:31 AM

I had Watchmen (2009) at #15 on my ballot. I liked the style and songs.

Sedai

12-13-21, 10:00 AM

Sunshine came VERY close to making my ballot, but was ultimately cut at the last minute. Watchmen is pretty good, but wasn't in consideration for my ballot.

Over the weekend, I managed to get Pride and Prejudice in. For the first 20 minutes or so, I found it sort of dry and off-putting, but ultimately, its charms and excellent technical quality won me over, Great stuff, I will watch again.

Also, checked out the 90s version of Little Women on honeykid's recommendation, and I adored that - I liked it a bit more than the recent one.

kgaard

12-13-21, 10:13 AM

I gave The Diving Bell and the Butterfly short shrift earlier because I was focused on Hedwig, but I actually liked it quite a bit, even though I didn't seriously consider for my list (it might have made a top 50, though).

I also rated Almost Famous pretty highly when I saw it on release, but I haven't seen it since and didn't consider it either--the same goes to a lesser degree for Juno.

I admired Sunshine's ambition, but it didn't fully work for me. That said, it's one I'd strongly consider watching again to see if that changed.

I'm on the same page as Thief on Watchmen: Snyder didn't understand the point of the novel, so what we get instead is a kind of reconstructed superhero mythos that favors aesthetics over ideas.

Thief

12-13-21, 10:34 AM

No changes to my ballot, but a bit of an update to my tally...

Seen: 7/14

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23. Mother (#96)
24.
25.

Thief

12-13-21, 10:52 AM

Reveals in a minute or two...

Chypmunk

12-13-21, 10:53 AM

https://media3.giphy.com/media/qe3gu0bH7Shj2/200.gif

Chypmunk

12-13-21, 10:57 AM

https://c.tenor.com/3pwkUNea4FEAAAAM/check-watch-waiting.gif

Sedai

12-13-21, 10:58 AM

Guessing Memento for one of the next ones...

rauldc14

12-13-21, 10:59 AM

Well ....

Thief

12-13-21, 11:00 AM

https://media3.giphy.com/media/qe3gu0bH7Shj2/200.gif

https://c.tenor.com/3pwkUNea4FEAAAAM/check-watch-waiting.gif

You went from this to that in 4 minutes :laugh:

Thief

12-13-21, 11:01 AM

77 points, 5 listsThe Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (https://www.movieforums.com/movies/8053-the-three-burials-of-melquiades-estrada.html)Director
Tommy Lee Jones, 2005

Starring
Tommy Lee Jones, Barry Pepper, Dwight Yoakam, January Jones

Thief

12-13-21, 11:01 AM

77 points, 6 listsCaché (https://www.movieforums.com/movies/445-caché.html)Director
Michael Haneke, 2005

Starring
Daniel Auteuil, Juliette Binoche, Annie Girardot, Bernard Le Coq

rauldc14

12-13-21, 11:01 AM

Zzzz.......

rauldc14

12-13-21, 11:02 AM

This isn't the 2000s people. I feel like going on a Sexy Celebrity rant.

seanc

12-13-21, 11:05 AM

Cache was my first Haneke. I really liked it but definitely need to see it again. Watched Three Burials for this countdown. Really solid but didn't make my list.

Sedai

12-13-21, 11:14 AM

Ah, the first film from my list has appeared!

My wife and I watched The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada a couple of months ago, and I watched it a second time more recently. We both LOVED this movie. Without Holden's recommendation, I probably would never have heard of this one, let alone watched it.

Three Burials was all the way up at #7 on my list.

Miss Vicky

12-13-21, 11:19 AM

I watched Three Burials for the Westerns countdown and really liked it. It made my ballot for that countdown, but missed the final cut for this one. Two other Westerns did make it onto my ballot, though.

I haven't seen Cache.

Seen: 8/16

My Ballot:
6. Hedwig and the Angry Inch (#91)
25. Surf's Up (One-Pointer)

Yoda

12-13-21, 11:20 AM

https://media3.giphy.com/media/qe3gu0bH7Shj2/200.gif
I love this but also it is very upsetting.

Chypmunk

12-13-21, 11:23 AM

Two good films. The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada almost made my Westerns list, I rewatched Caché after it made an appearance in the Foreign-language Countdown and it still held up well for me. Neither made my list here though.

Seen: 9/16 (Own: 7/16)

3. Madeo [Mother] (2009) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1216496/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_9) [#96]
25. The Pool (2007) (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0911024/?ref_=fn_tt_tt_6) [1-ptr]

Faildictions (millennial edition v1.0):
84. Waltz With Bashir (2008)
83. Adaptation (2002)

rauldc14

12-13-21, 11:25 AM

My lord I must have seen the least of anybody for this.

A paltry 3 for 16.

Chypmunk

12-13-21, 11:25 AM

I love this but also it is very upsetting.
Yeah, I nearly changed it as I was worried someone was gonna cut wise over just what is he doing with his hands? :D

Iroquois

12-13-21, 11:27 AM

One vote. Three Burials is the first film on my ballot to crack the list, a film I checked out primarily because Holden Pike once referred to it as his favourite of the decade and one that's held up as a pretty strong neo-Western where TLJ's ageing cowboy tries to enact his own particular brand of frontier justice on the man who killed his friend, though it's not nearly as simple as that. I watched Caché earlier this year and thought it was very good, though I ultimately did not vote for it.

KeyserCorleone

12-13-21, 11:32 AM

Never heard of either.

Thief

12-13-21, 11:39 AM

I haven't seen any of these. I knew about Caché, but my experience with Haneke is limited to Funny Games only. I had barely heard of Three Burials and didn't know it was held in such high esteem. Barely know anything about it.

Thief

12-13-21, 11:44 AM

By the way, these two, along with Watchmen, were part of one of several three-way ties. They all had 77 points, with Caché getting the top spot by virtue of being on more ballots (6, as opposed to 5 for the other two).

For what it's worth, there are still several ties coming, including a 4-way tie.

Okay

12-13-21, 11:49 AM

Caché was my #18

Hopefully it's not the last we see of Haneke.

Harry Lime

12-13-21, 11:52 AM

Happy to see Cache make it - figured it would after it's placing in the foreign film countdown, which was in the 80s as well. It's been a while since I saw The Three Burials...but I do remember liking it.

4. Werckmeister Harmonies (2000)
6. Caché (2005)
25. Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner (2001)

kgaard

12-13-21, 12:00 PM

I haven't seen Caché, but The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada was my #5. Here's my review from back when I saw it in the theater:

Borders and alienation are at the heart of Tommy Lee Jones’s new (and first) film, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, even as the way in which profound friendship can cut across borders and mend even the seemingly unmendable wounds of life—along with a healthy dose of dark humor—lifts the film out of the realm of cynicism to somewhere hopeful.

This is a great film by any measure. Guillermo Arriaga’s (Amores Perros, 21 Grams) carefully crafted script deliberately unravels the fate of Melquiades (Julio Cedillo), the mystery being not so much what happened but how do we come to this place, where we have to look at each other across a line, and what do we see there? Jones paces the film out so that time stretches to encompass understanding—scenes grow longer as mystery fades into comprehension (though, as in life, not all mysteries are solved).

Shot in Jones’s backyard along the Texas-Mexico border, The Three Burials … captures the stark and relentless beauty of a region that, in some ways, is still frontier-land, emotionally, as well as physically. Barry Pepper is excellent as the unthinking outsider transformed by the harsh tutelage of Tommy Lee Jones’s Pete, Melquiades’s loyal friend. Melissa Leo and January Jones are latter-day frontierswomen who present sexual availability but also, in the end, a willingness to set their own terms. If everyone else weren’t so good, Levon Helm would steal the film in his brief appearance as its blind oracle (Homer and Peckinpah both make their presence felt).

At once a throwback to the films of Peckinpah, Leone (the score is by Marco Beltrami, a student of Jerry Goldsmith and, according to Jones, Ennio Morricone), and Kurosawa, and an original vision, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada is a masterful achievement, thematically rich and vastly entertaining.

Some trivia notes:

Tommy Lee Jones and I both went to the same high school (though not at the same time!). He visited the school my senior year for my creative writing class and a school assembly (this was after The Executioner's Song and Lonesome Dove, but before The Fugitive). The only thing I remember from his talks is that he regretted turning down the lead in Robocop.

I saw this movie at a special showing after which he gave a Q&A, and which was presented by his college roommate and alternate-universe U.S. President Al Gore. I can report that even failed presidential candidates have an absolute phalanx of bodyguards.

Harry Lime

12-13-21, 12:14 PM

Some interesting tidbits there, kgaard.

MovieMeditation

12-13-21, 12:22 PM

Haven’t seen Sunshine… I’m actually a fan of Watchmen and find it to be Snyder’s last decent movie (at least for live-action). A grand and faithfully realized comic book epic. I’ve seen it quite a few times. Kinda love it.

Not seen or even heard of that Tommy Lee Jones feature. The only movie I’ve seen directed by him was The Homesman. It was okay.

I’ve seen Caché. It was not on my list but it’s a solid movie. Crazy, but solid.

Deschain

12-13-21, 01:02 PM

Saw these both once and kinda liked em.

mark f

12-13-21, 01:18 PM

The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada is a fine examination of the differences (if any) between revenge and redemption with tip-top performances by Tommy Lee Jones and Barry Pepper.

Caché is my fave Haneke, along with Amour, because even though it's full of his usual vagueness, it seems to have more real mystery and legitimate ways to interpret it. The use of videos, which he does a lot in his movies, seems to be what makes the mystery more suspenseful and successful here.

Still, I didn't vote for them.

Citizen Rules

12-13-21, 01:20 PM

This is the first time I can say this:

I haven't seen any of today's movies:cool:

ScarletLion

12-13-21, 01:32 PM

88. Sunshine (76 points)
87. Watchmen (77 points)
86. The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (77 points)
85. Caché (77 points)

I've seen all of them. Disliked Watchmen, really not my thing. The other three are good but a bit surprised to see them here, Cache is especially good but I chose another Haneke for my ballot.

Torgo

12-13-21, 02:02 PM

Caché is #16 on my list as well as my favorite Haneke movie. There is another one of his movies I considered for my list (that may be the one that's on ScarletLion's list), but it didn't quite make it. In addition to Caché being an original creation by the writer/director, that the movie also seems to come from a personal place for Haneke and that it has so many of the signatures that made me a fan of his movies (a voyeuristic style, ambiguity, respect for the audience's intelligence, scrutinizing the rich and powerful, etc.) gives it the edge.

Thief

12-13-21, 02:40 PM

Critics

-

Critics thoughts on #86, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada...

https://i.imgur.com/EJcozbk.png

It currently has a 85% Certified Fresh Tomatometer score among critics, and a 7.4/10 score on IMDb (with 40,000 votes).

Roger Ebert gave it ★★★★ and said:

"The journey and its end will involve more discoveries and more surprises; it traverses the same kinds of doomed landscapes we picture when we read Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy. What gathers in this story of lonely men and deep impulses is a kind of grandeur;"

Meanwhile Mick LaSalle, of the San Francisco Chronicle, said:

"For those inclined to take the movie seriously -- and that includes the filmmakers -- The Three Burials can be looked upon as the story of an older man's attempt to teach a younger man a valuable life lesson. Mike needs it. Still, it's difficult to see what lesson our hero is imparting. Don't get stuck in a slow, pretentious art film? Forty minutes of corpse jokes just isn't funny?"

As for our MoFo reviewers, Holden Pike said:

"Working from a strong script by Guillermo Arriaga (Amores Perros, 21 Grams), director Tommy Lee Jones has crafted a piece of cinematic poetry about friendship, vengeance and responsibility."

On the other hand, Lennon said:

"Now, this movie isn’t perfect, for instance I didn’t like the characters, not one bit. Barry Pepper’s Mike Norton character was pretty mean; the way he treats the Mexicans, his wife and people around him in general is despicable. Therefore the kindness people give back to him is undeserved. Making me question motives, and pretty much unreal, or at least the way I would act. "

SpelingError

12-13-21, 02:40 PM

I should check out Three Burials someday. It's been recommended to me a couple times in the past.

Cache didn't make my ballot, but it's still really good and is probably my favorite Haneke film. Granted, his films can sometimes be too cold to register with me (save for The White Ribbon, this is the only one of Haneke's films I can see myself revisiting), but I do like this one a lot. Yes, it's very bleak, but I think its emotional power comes from the despair which persists throughout the film. I also appreciate that he leaves some details ambiguous. Overall, it's a truly fine film.

ueno_station54

12-13-21, 02:41 PM

Can't stand Haneke and the other one is the first on the list I've never even heard of.

Holden Pike

12-13-21, 02:45 PM

83407

Tommy Lee Jones' The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada was #65 on the MoFo Top 100 of the Millennium List as well as #52 on the MoFo Top 100 Westerns List. Michael Haneke's Caché did not appear on the Millennium list though it was #81 on the MoFo Top 100 Foreign Films List.

Thief

12-13-21, 02:49 PM

Critics

-

Critics thoughts on #85, Caché...

https://i.imgur.com/jvoyTj0.png

It currently has a 89% Certified Fresh Tomatometer score among critics, and a 7.3/10 score on IMDb (with 78,000 votes).

Roger Ebert gave it ★★★★ and said:

"I described the film as 'a thriller'. So it is, but a thriller that implodes, not releasing its tension in action but coiling it deeper inside. "

Meanwhile James Berardinelli, of Reelviews, gave it ★★½ and said:

"While Caché offers food for thought, the last third is muddled."

As for our MoFo reviewers, Okay said:

"The more I think about Caché, the better I like it, and I'm confident that after a second watch it would go down as one of my all time favourites. It might not be everyone's cup of tea, in fact it may even anger you, but it is extremely well done for its intended audience, and also has enough going on to hold anyone's interest."

While seanc said:

"Cache is more than worthy of your time. Haneke's static shots are beautiful and haunting all at the same time. The characters are well drawn and well portrayed. I do wish that Haneke would allow a little more warmth into his films. "

mrblond

12-13-21, 02:49 PM

What a confusion, I was pretty sure that I've included Caché in my ballot. Now, I check it and it is not there... Can't understand how this superb Haneke work dropped from my list.
Anyway, this is a film that should be considered by everybody with interest in the art of cinema.
I think, its relatively low rank at #85 is the first surprise for me since I thought Caché would surely make Top 50. Now, I feel guilty of not voting for this movie. :facepalm:

I know nothing about The Three Burials...

Seen 6/16
My list entrants 0/25

Thief

12-13-21, 02:52 PM

Trailers

-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3P7wiVIhWk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvT_9TqIEtM

Thief

12-13-21, 02:58 PM

Awards

-

Now to the awards received by The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada...

Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor (Tommy Lee Jones)
Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Screenplay (Guillermo Arriaga)
Ghent International Film Festival Grand Prix Winner
Western Heritage Awards Bronze Wrangler

As for Caché, it won...

Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Director (Michael Haneke)
British Independent Film Award for Best Foreign Independent Film
European Film Award for Best Film and Director (Haneke)
European Film Award for Best Actor (Daniel Auteuil)

Among many others...

edarsenal

12-13-21, 03:08 PM

Out of the last six I've only seen two:
Watchmen which I haven't seen since it came out in video and would need to see a rewatch to truly comment since it all felt like a hot mess when I saw it back then.

and,
https://i0.wp.com/media3.giphy.com/media/DnK61NfnJdQyI/giphy.gif
https://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m7ow9w348n1qexgq4o1_500.gif

Almost Famous

William Miller: So Russell. . . what do you love about music?
Russell Hammond: To begin with. . . everything.

Known as "director Cameron Crowe's semi-autobiographical account of life as a young Rolling Stone reporter", this film is chock full of references and inside remarks from those early 70s daze of touring with a Rock Band and all the good/bad and crazy situations that happen. A lot of them are based on similar situations that occurred to Crowe during that time in a rosy-tinted perspective.
Some of the references that I got a kick out of included the remark by the Editor of Rolling Stone warning young William Miller (Patrick Fugit) that they already had one Hunter S. Thompson and they didn't need another one. As well as the acidic writer Lester Bangs (Philip Seymour Hoffman) who, for a time, worked for Detroit-based rock magazine, Creem magazine. He'd eventually die of an overdose in the early 80s.

Like he often did, Crowe used relative unknowns that would become very well known, such as Kate Hudson, Billy Crudup, Noah Taylor, Frances McDormand, Anna Paquin, and Zooey Deschanel. Along with Jay & Silent Bob regular Jason Lee as the singer of the fictitious rock band Stillwater that young Miller tours with. The cast does an excellent job and like a number of Crowe's work, there are little personal touches that cause you to find yourself happily drawn into this world and those experiencing it.

A very feel-good, throwback to a different time of Rock and Roll.

I am VERY curious to see Sunshine and truly need to see Three Burials.

Films Watched 9 out of 16 (56.25%)
17. Mother (#96)
25. A Bittersweet Life (One Pointer)

One Pointers: 10 out of 38 (26.31%)

KeyserCorleone

12-13-21, 03:45 PM

I've been trying to guess what people don't like about Watchmen. No I easily could have missed a big detail that could rewrite the 96 rating I gave, but I'd like to make this argument: what I loved about it was the fact that we didn't get some story about an old team getting back together. We got a story about how their differences both clashed and lead some of them to unity as they all changed. It was the average life of a washed-up superhero from multiple perspectives. The humorous tone of the comic book (as people say) might have been missed, but that detail is something the adaptation couldn't ever take away I'll bet.

crumbsroom

12-13-21, 04:13 PM

My first forum was a place that was pretty quick to throw the homophobe tag around for little comments like "I hated this movie" when there happened to be prominent homosexuality. After seeing this post, I thank sweet merciful God no other forum I've been to acts that cruelly and unreasonably.

Yes, it's nice when people don't say obviously stupid things.

There are good movies about the gay community and bad ones. My gut is Hedwig is one of the bad ones (even though I wouldn't discourage others from seeing it as it is at least something)

crumbsroom

12-13-21, 04:28 PM

Almost Famous - I think this is the first one from my list. I have my reservations about it, as it is the kind of movie that unfolds just as you expect it will, and has a central performance by Jason Lee that I ****ing hate, but I return to it repeatedly. I think it gets something very right about the love of music and the innocence of youth and how they can't help but commingle deeply for a brief blissful moment. This movie is about that moment and the untutored performance of Patrick Fugit is what makes it all work. Is he a good actor? Not really. But his awkwardness in front of the camera is a gift.

Juno - No thanks. I don't like anything about this outside of Michael Cera's jogging shorts. And that is not nearly enough to carry a movie. Horrible dialogue littered with wink-wink pop culture references that make me want to barf. There is a reason Diablo Cody vanished into oblivion. She sucks. And I wager she likes Wizard of Gore more than Suspiria just like that knob Juno. The movie I probably hated most until Babydriver was farted into existence.

Sunshine - Everyone harps on the end, so I won't bother, even though it is deserving of the dislike. The first two thirds is close to the best thing Danny Boyle has every done. Before he became the worst director on earth.

Watchmen - A bad movie with great moments. Unfortunately, it's a really long bad movie, so there is a lot of waiting around for the worthwhile bits. Usually, it has to do with Rorschach. Maybe they should have left the rest of the characters on the cutting room floor.

Three Burials - Easily the best movie on the list so far for me. And I totally forgot about it. Bought this for fifty cents at some pawn shop before Christmas last year and was expecting a dull, sun bleached drama out in the desert. Turns out Tommy Lee Jones directed one of the best movies of the last twenty years. Poetic, unpredictable, uncompromising. I thought they stopped making American films like this in the 70's. It's perfect.

Cache - I didn't know what Haneke to choose for my list, and this was close. But I instead, chose another. The movie is a great example of giving an audience just enough information to piece a mystery together, but never enough for them to feel certain they've solved it. It lingers because, like a nightmare, we feel we should understand what is happening better than we do, and as it descends into the heart of darkness, we are helpless to reason ourselves out of it.

Rockatansky

12-13-21, 04:55 PM

The only Haneke I've gelled to so far are the Funny Games movies, because they own up to not playing fair with the audience. The rest of them mostly struck me with a certain smugness, as if Haneke wants to play with the tropes of whatever genre he's chosen but considers himself above actually paying them off because he has an important point to make. What I'm saying is, i didn't vote for Cache.

I suppose I should watch The Piano Teacher at some point, if only for Queen Huppert.

Thief

12-13-21, 05:25 PM

ash_is_the_gal

12-13-21, 05:58 PM

to catch up a bit-

Pride & Prejudice was my #6. i love it unabashedly, and i also love the Colin Firth version. i have a huge crush on Kiera Knightley and i love her in this role. i had no idea if it would make the countdown or not, i'm just a whore for period piece dramas. i'm glad it did

haven't seen Diving Bell and the Butterfly in, like... 13 years. i enjoyed it but i dunno if i'll ever watch it again, movies about young immortality like that really bum me out these days. still, it's a good movie so i think it belongs on this list.

Hedwig and the Angry Inch was my #18. i only saw it for the first time last year, but i've loved the soundtrack for over a decade. kinda kicking myself for having waited so long to watch it. better late than never i guess.

anyway, pretty good list so far. the only movie on this list so far i cannot fkn stand is Juno. ughhhhh, no thanks :p

Holden Pike

12-13-21, 06:51 PM

83419

I do like Caché, though it wouldn't be anywhere near my top twenty-five. As most long-time MoFos will know I am a tireless/annoying champion for The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada and have been since I saw it theatrically in early 2006. It is one of those movies that connected so squarely with me on every level. For those who have never seen or heard of it, it has plot elements of and thematic similarities to such titles as Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia, Lonely Are the Brave, and A Perfect World. It even has some similarities to two other Tommy Lee Jones vehicles in "Lonesome Dove" and No Country for Old Men. All of those projects are favorites of mine but Melquiades Estrada rises above them all. It was my numero uno, getting my full twenty-five points. After fifteen years of gushing about this flick here at MoFo I am simultaneously gratified that it continues to makes our lists and slightly disappointed that it isn't much, much higher. :)

That makes two of mine, so far.

HOLDEN’S BALLOT
1. The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (#86)
17. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (#92)

Takoma11

12-13-21, 07:03 PM

Watchmen - A bad movie with great moments. Unfortunately, it's a really long bad movie, so there is a lot of waiting around for the worthwhile bits. Usually, it has to do with Rorschach. Maybe they should have left the rest of the characters on the cutting room floor.

Exactly. And every time it felt like the movie was finding its feet, it would totally fumble for like 5 solid minutes of runtime.

My main memory of this film is the derisive laughter at the sex scene.

I'm surprised so many people haven't heard of Three Burials . . .. It's a really good film!