The MoFo Top 100 of the 2000s Countdown

→ in
Tools    







Two more of mine have been named in the last four reveals. Charlie Kaufman has proven to be one of the most singular and, for my taste, amusing screenwriters. For someone who entered the business through television comedies (Chris Elliott's sitcom "Get a Life" and the short-lived "The Dana Carvey Show") his ascendance to screenwriting god is almost as surreal as one of his stories. He should have two more of his screenplays make the countdown but I am happy to see his directorial debut made it as well. Synecdoche, New York was my fourteenth pick. My fifteenth pick was Duncan Jones' Moon. I was already a slobbering fan of Sam Rockwell, since Box of Moonlight and Lawn Dogs, and along with the Charlie Kaufman-adapted Confessions of a Dangerous Mind this was the best example of Sam in full leading man mode. This was Duncan's directorial debut as well, and while Source Code was a promising follow up the big budget video game flick Warcraft was a head-scratcher. We'll see if the rest of his career starts to match the brilliance of this shining writer-director debut.

That makes eight of my choices, thus far.

HOLDEN’S BALLOT
1. The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (#86)
2. Dancer in the Dark (#49)
14. Synecdoche, New York (#46)
15. Moon (#48)
16. Fantastic Mr. Fox (#70)
17. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (#92)
18. A Serious Man (#66)
20. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (#51)

__________________
"Film is a disease. When it infects your bloodstream it takes over as the number one hormone. It bosses the enzymes, directs the pineal gland, plays Iago to your psyche. As with heroin, the antidote to Film is more Film." - Frank Capra



Since you posted that picture, here's a nice trivia from IMDb:

For her role as Caden's adult daughter, Robin Weigert had to undergo 20 hours of tattoo artistry for her character.
__________________
Check out my podcast: The Movie Loot!



Welcome to the human race...
This was Duncan's directorial debut as well, and while Source Code was a promising follow up the big budget video game flick Warcraft was a head-scratcher. We'll see if the rest of his career starts to match the brilliance of this shining writer-director debut.
It is kind of telling that your summary skipped over Mute, which had been hyped up over the years due to being set in the same universe as Moon but which finally came out and ended up as an aggressively lacklustre exercise in cyberpunk that was his worst film yet. Maybe he can pull it together but so far he has a similar track record to someone like Neill Blomkamp.
__________________
I really just want you all angry and confused the whole time.
Iro's Top 100 Movies v3.0





142 points, 10 lists
Finding Nemo
Director

Andrew Stanton, 2003

Starring

Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Alexander Gould, Willem Dafoe

#44








146 points, 11 lists
Adaptation.
Director

Spike Jonze, 2002

Starring

Nicolas Cage, Meryl Streep, Chris Cooper, Tilda Swinton

#43






Welcome to the human race...
No votes. Finding Nemo is another Pixar that's fine enough but I've had to watch it so many times that it doesn't really register for me anymore. Adaptation is probably my favourite Kaufman-based work and I think a good chunk of that is down to Cage pulling double duty and turning out one (two?) of his best performances, though Streep and Cooper also do excellent work.



Hint breakdown!

Hint, hint...

WARNING: spoilers below

Oh he will return (Charlie Kaufman returns...)
but now with his friend (but with Spike Jonze. It can also work as a reference to Marlin and Dory)
To find what is lost (self-explanatory)
From mind to the end (things lost in the mind, which is a vague reference to "Charlie Kaufman"'s struggles in Adaptation... while end is a reference to the sea or the ends of the sea)

Is it inspiration? (what "Charlie Kaufman" is looking for)
a dearly loved one? (what Marlin is looking for)
a precious flower? (what the characters in The Orchid Thief are looking for)
or the memories you've won? (what Dory is looking for)

It doesn't matter
Just pair up, you two ("Charlie and Donald", Marlin and Dory)
Sit down or set out (sit down to write, or set out...)
Beyond the big blue (...to sea)



Finding Nemo is always a fun watch, actually expected it to be a little higher than this. I remember quite enjoying Adaptation. some years ago but have never really felt much of a call to revisit it.

Seen: 36/58 (Own: 26/58)
My ballot:  


Faildictions (millennial edition v1.01):
42. Serenity (2005)
41. Zombieland (2009)



Have seen so far: 20 - Finding Nemo - An alright animation movie
Have not seen so far: 42
__________________
Moviefan1988's Favorite Movies
https://www.movieforums.com/communit...?t=67103<br />

Welcome to the Dance: My Favorite 20 High School Movies
https://www.movieforums.com/communit...02#post2413502



Seen both, voted for none...

Finding Nemo is a film that I saw bits and pieces for a loooong time cause it came out when my nephew was a little kid, so he was very much into it. Most of the time, he started pumped up with it, then slept halfway through and woke up in the last act, which meant that whenever I took care of him, I took advantage of the moment he slept to do my own things. Because of that, it took me a while to see it whole, and when I did, it didn't really resonate that much; probably cause I already knew all the beats. Still like it quite a bit, and I've seen it several times since, but that's it.

Adaptation is one that really stuck with me, and I really considered it. I think it's a really clever film with some great performances. But it's been so long that I've seen it that I didn't think it would be fair to vote for it. I've been meaning to rewatch it for a long time. I should probably get to it.


Where I'm at?...

Seen: 42/58

My ballot:  



I watched Adaptation a long time ago and don't really remember much. I need to give it a rewatch.

I think Finding Nemo is very good, but it has never been a favorite. I had nine animated movies on my ballot but this wasn't one of them.

Seen: 34/58

My Ballot:
1. Quills (#67)
6. Hedwig and the Angry Inch (#91)
21. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (#63)
25. Surf's Up (One-Pointer)



I love Adaptation, which is #18 on my list. As good as Cage, Streep, Cooper, etc. are in it, my favorite performance may be Brian Cox's as script doctor Robert McKee. Here's a highlight from his seminar:




I like both of these, but they are not the Pixar or Charlie Kaufman films I was looking for. Move along.



Critics




Critics thoughts on our #44, Finding Nemo...



It currently has a 99% Certified Fresh Tomatometer score among critics, and a 8.1/10 score on IMDb (with 997,000 votes).

Roger Ebert gave it ★★★★ and said:
"I can say that Finding Nemo is a pleasure for grown-ups. There are jokes we get that the kids don't, and the complexity of Albert Brooks' neuroses, and that enormous canvas filled with creatures that have some of the same hypnotic beauty as--well, fish in an aquarium."
While Stephanie Zacharek, of Salon.com, said:
"Finding Nemo works terribly hard for every scrap of charm or humor it imparts."
As for our MoFo reviewers, @rauldc14 said:
"Animation that is done to perfection. Will always be a favorite film that does everything right for me. The most beautiful animation film to date with great sound and voice performances as well as a story for the ages."
And also, @MovieMeditation said:
"All this might be fun, but the tone of the movie is quite confused. I mean, the opening scene is extremely intense, dark and very heartbreaking, yet the movie that follows is Disney at their most lightweight, except for a few small areas."



My Kaufman love is going to shine through on this list. Adaptation is my 18. I mean, it’s always going to be about the script and the angst. This might be my vote for funniest Kaufman script, he’s always funny though. Cage has never been better. Streep needs no accolades from me. I think this is the movie that started me down the road of Cooper being closed be if my favorite character actors.

Finding Nemo is very good, I expected it higher. No complaints from me, but I didn’t vote for it.

Watched 28 Days Later last night and it mostly went the way I expected unfortunately. I was relatively happy when Gleeson was showing everyone else how to be a screen presence. Had a couple of decent sequences, the tunnel suspense being my favorite, and the only part that kicked in the fear reflex. Wasn’t expecting to dislike the cinematography and score so much. I thought the atmosphere would at least be good, but those two aspects made it more of a chore. Hey, knocked another one off the list at least.
__________________
Letterboxd



Critics




Critics thoughts on our #43, Adaptation...



It currently has a 91% Certified Fresh Tomatometer score among critics, and a 7.7/10 score on IMDb (with 188,000 votes).

Roger Ebert gave it ★★★★ and said:
"It is wickedly playful in its construction, it gets the story told, and it doubles back and kids itself."
While Mick LaSalle, of the San Francisco Chronicle, said:
"Gradually the movie's one joke plays out, and Charlie's doubts about inserting himself into his own screenplay prove to be well-founded."
As for our MoFo reviewers, @Lance McCool said:
"Kaufman's writing carries the film, but it helps that Chris Cooper turns in his best performance to date. Cage didn't fare too poorly either as the twin brothers and Streep is always good. Overall, this was a solid movie and a definite improvement over the last Jonze-Kaufman effort (Being John Malkovich)"
And also, @Citizen Rules said:
"This brilliant film is trounced on by Spike Jonze in the third act."

Reply to Topic