The MoFo Top 100 of the 2000s Countdown

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Trivia




Inglourious Basterds



Did you know that...
  • Tarantino spent over a decade working on the script? He has also said that the opening scene with Hans Landa and the dairy farmer is his "favorite thing" he's "ever written".
  • Tarantino initially sought Leonardo DiCaprio for the role of Landa?
  • the film-within-the-film Nation's Pride was directed by Eli Roth, who also plays Donny Donowitz?
  • Simon Pegg was Tarantino's first choice for Lt. Archie Hicox? Pegg had to drop due to scheduling conflicts and Tarantino chose Michael Fassbender, who had auditioned for the role of Landa.
  • to prepare for her role, Mélanie Laurent worked as a projectionist for a few weeks at New Beverly Cinema?

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Trivia




Children of Men



Did you know that...
  • Cuarón credits films like The Battle of Algiers, Sunrise, and A Clockwork Orange as influences and inspirations?
  • in the original novel, the reason for the infertility crisis was that men stopped producing sperm?
  • Theo never uses or touches a gun through the entire movie?
  • the long shot inside the car required a special camera rig controlled by a stunt driver and a modified vehicle with tilting seats and windshield to allow camera movement in and out? It was done in six takes over four locations.




Some random countdown stats...
  • The point gap between #19 (The Departed) and #18 (Inglourious Basterds) is of 23 points, and is one of the five biggest gaps in all the countdown.
  • With Shaun of the Dead, Edgar Wright gets his second film on the countdown, after placing Hot Fuzz at #30. With only 2 films released during the decade, Wright joins Pete Docter and Brad Bird as the only directors so far to go 100% (all of them 2/2).
  • Quentin Tarantino also joins the group of "repeated offenders", with Inglourious Basterds at #18 and Kill Bill Vol. 2 at #34.
  • So far, Inglourious Basterds has been in the most ballots (24). Children of Men and the next two entries are in less ballots, but were ranked higher, thus getting more points.



New Beverly Cinema
For those podcastically-inclined, Tarantino owns the New Beverly Cinema and sporadically guests on their official podcast (the Pure Cinema Podcast). Definitely worth a listen (I recently went through their top discoveries of the year episode with Tarantino and Roger Avary), although given his motormouthed nature episodes can run a few hours long.



Hint, hint...

WARNING: spoilers below

Don't worry, be happy
Regardless of race
Find that other person
Tell it to their face

Help people, hug trees
Join the battle and fight
Return things and smile
Charge, be a guiding light



For those podcastically-inclined, Tarantino owns the New Beverly Cinema and sporadically guests on their official podcast (the Pure Cinema Podcast). Definitely worth a listen (I recently went through their top discoveries of the year episode with Tarantino and Roger Avary), although given his motormouthed nature episodes can run a few hours long.
Yep. According to the trivia, Laurent started projecting cartoons and shorts, but then Tarantino asked her to project Reservoir Dogs, which was considered like her true "test".



Hint, hint...

WARNING: spoilers below

Don't worry, be happy
Regardless of race
Find that other person
Tell it to their face

Help people, hug trees
Join the battle and fight
Return things and smile
Charge, be a guiding light
Two Towers and something else.
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Welcome to the human race...
Well, that's the problem. The host doesn't know whats 2000. All these foreign films are just here to try to impress people like Wintertriangles and Mr Minio
Bruh, it's a community list that's been voted on by almost a hundred different people. Foreign films only crack the list because the people want them to be there, and even then there is still a tendency for them to be outnumbered and outranked by the likes of Pirates of the Caribbean or Iron Man or Finding Nemo anyway. If this is a list determined by popular voting, then the logical conclusion is that the films you think deserve to be here simply because they "scream 2000s" (as if that's a good thing) still aren't considered good enough by MoFo in general for whatever reason (especially Harry Potter, which had six different films come out during the decade and the consensus pick for the best of those was directed by someone who already had two other films crack this list already).
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I really just want you all angry and confused the whole time.
Iro's Top 100 Movies v3.0





Kill Bill Vol. II was #2 on my ballot, one spot ahead of the first volume, which I expect to show up very soon. Love both equally, but the spaghetti western ambience and aesthetics of Vol. II suit my sensibilities a tad more than the gonzo martial-arts extravaganza of its predecessor. Vol. II slows things down, exchanges action for more dialogue, ups the emotional stakes. A five-point-palm-exploding-heart-punch, with QT's words serving a similar function as a Morricone score in a Sergio Leone stand-off. Individually, both films are excellent; as a whole, it's a masterwork. An exuberant, supersized love letter to the glorious grindhouse gems that molded QT's passion for cinema -- Bruce Lee, Sonny Chiba, Shaw Brothers, Leone, Corbucci, Lady Snowblood, Lone Wolf & Cub, Death Rides a Horse, et al. -- all thrown into a pot and stewed to perfection with more than enough Tarantino flavoring to alter a familiar recipe into something distinct. QT was also nice enough to give me a small part as the barkeep:





28 Days Later was my #5. A much-needed shot in the arm to a flailing subgenre that has since grown stale again due to oversaturation and a hundred seasons of The Walking Dead. Boyle's sprinting, snarling infected were a game-changer at the time. Suddenly zombies were interesting again, more threatening; the sense of urgency and aggression amplified by Boyle's kinetic direction. I regularly fantasize about Cillian Murphy's flaccid penis waking to find everyone else has disappeared, so the quiet moments are my favorite scenes -- empty streets and countryside, a surrogate family trawling stores devoid of people; major wish-fulfillment for a misanthrope like myself. Also love the escalating intensity of the oft-criticized final act, and the film's cynical view of human nature. Venturing out in public in this post-Trump, post-COVID world feels a bit like living in a version of the film.



Requiem for a Dream was my #7. A seminal film in my cinematic upbringing. Aronofsky directs the hell out of this movie, emptying the bag of filmic tricks to visually convey the various stages of drug use, and I think he does it more effectively than any other film on the subject. I hope they dedicate an entire week in film schools to studying the expertly hypnotic editing. Clint Mansell's score is one of my favorites and the rare score that I'll listen to just for the hell of it. Addiction is the most intense, toxic, parasitic, abusive, self-destructive relationship possible. The ultimate tragic romance, and Aronofsky and crew capture every beautifully hideous moment to powerful perfection. I just don't understand why he portrays ass-to-ass through such a negative lens. Riding a double-sided dildo to the encouragement of onlookers is the highlight of all my family get-togethers.



The Wrestler was my #9. Another Aronofsky film that chronicles obsession, the major recurring theme in all his work. Here the drug is adulation, the rush inside the ring, living off the high of faded glories. Professional wrestling has been one of my biggest passions since I was in preschool. My best friend and I flew up to Minneapolis this past October just to attend AEW's Full Gear PPV, and we had planned to attend last weekend's Battle of the Belts in nearby Charlotte but backed out due to COVID concerns. To me, wrestling is the perfect marriage of sports and entertainment, storytelling and athleticism. I have a lot of respect and admiration for the men and women who dedicate their lives to the craft. It's an unforgiving, punishing lifestyle. The physical toil on the body, the mental grind, countless miles spent on the road, in the gym, away from families. Everything about The Wrestler feels authentic. Rourke's Randy "The Ram" Robinson, that "old, broken down piece of meat," is one of the best, most naturalistic performances of the decade. A gritty, empathetic character study that humanizes the muscled-up, spandex-wearing, over-the-top characters of the squared circle. Hopefully the film gave audiences a newfound respect for something often dismissed as white-trash spectacle.


Several more have shown up from the lower half of my ballot but I've already surpassed my word quota for the day. Maybe I'll spotlight them tomorrow.
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You can't make a rainbow without a little rain.
I watched Shaun of the Dead for the horror countdown because it's supposed to be a horror comedy, but it's just not my type of humor.

I watched The Departed for a HoF or movie tournament a while back. I didn't remember much about it, so I rewatched it for this countdown. It's a good movie, but it's just too violent for my taste.

I watched Inglourious Basterds for a HoF a while back, and I hated it. I rewatched it for this countdown, (only because it aired on one of the movie channels, so I decided to give it another chance). I still don't like the movie, but at least I didn't hate it as much as I did previously.

I think I watched Children of Men for a HoF or movie tournament a while back, but I might be thinking of the wrong movie. (If I remember correctly it was about saving the last pregnant woman.) Unfortunately I don't remember much about it, so it was probably just okay for me.
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If I answer a game thread correctly, just skip my turn and continue with the game.
OPEN FLOOR.



I love Inglourious Basterds and its wish-fulfillment take on the outcome of the fate of the Nazis and Hitler's regime. Even though much of it is serious, there is a lot of humor spread throughout the film that left me laughing, particularly Pitt's overblown character of Raine who doesn't even try to pretend he's someone else when being introduced to Landa at the theater. His whole attitude, standing there with his jaw clenched and eyes squinted hard, had me rolling. Of course, Waltz was magnificent here, going from dominant to victim by the end, which was very satisfying.

Have yet to see Children of Men but definitely will. It looks too good to ignore. Neither film made my list, although I did consider Tarantino's film for a while before going with something else. Glad to see it made the list.

#5.Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl 63
#8. Unbreakable 62
#10.Million Dollar Baby 57
#15. Shaun of the Dead 20
#18. The Royal Tenenbaums 35
#22. Fantastic Mr. Fox 70
#20. Iron Man 83
#21 Finding Nemo 44
#23. The Descent 80
#25. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang 76
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"Miss Jean Louise, Mr. Arthur Radley."



For what it's worth Thief, I think you've been a great host so far
I appreciate the sentiment, I really do; but if I can't please raul, why do I bother?




A system of cells interlinked
A couple more from my list have appeared over the weekend.

Inglorious Basterds was my #8. Not quite my favorite Tarantino, but pretty damned close, and it for sure is my favorite opening scene from not only Tarantino, but perhaps all of film. I dunno, I didn't really think long and hard about that last statement, and maybe it would come apart at the seams if I really put my mind to it. Right off hand though, it's one of the first scenes that springs to mind when I attempt to consider best movie openings ever.



My experience with The Departed mirrors several other MoFo's. Saw it in theaters, thought it was good but not amazing, and was especially annoyed with the Leo/Farmiga thread. Alas, over the years, as I watched the film more, I got to the point where it has become one of those films that, if I stumble across it, I am watching it. So many great scenes, and I always enjoy films that take place in my neck of the woods, especially when they highlight colloquial absurdity. I had The Departed at #10 on my list. In the past week I re-watched this and also Memories of Murder. Is The Departed better tan Memories of Murder, deserving of its higher placement on my list? Objectively, probably not. Alas, I find it more rewatchable, so there it sits.



Lastly, but certainly not least. Any poor sap of a MoFo that was around back in the mid-aughts was subjected to my seemingly endless prattling on and praise for Children of Men at the time. Not to mention my friends, who I dragged, sometimes three at a time to the cinema to see this. I think I saw it five times theatrically, each time with different people; I am definitely not as obsessed with it as I was then, but I still think its the bee's knees. Technically brilliant, emotionally powerful, and in hindsight, chillingly prescient, I had this gem at #6 on my list.

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“It takes considerable knowledge just to realize the extent of your own ignorance.” ― Thomas Sowell



A system of cells interlinked
Agree with Raul: Amelie and The Two Towers.

I am depressed about both films appearing at this point in the countdown - one for being too high on the list, the other too low.




You say "movies that people know", but these clearly are the movies that people here know. That's why they are on the list!

It seems strange to me to say in the same breath that films don't deserve to be on this list AND that you haven't seen them.

Without casting shade on any specific film, I think that there are film on this list that made it just because they are more widely seen, not because they are better than certain other films. For example, I'm sure everyone here has seen the Lord of the Rings films (and one of them is on my own ballot!) and as films that are good AND are widely seen, they will probably place high. But if everyone had also seen Memories of Murder or Death of Mr. Lazarescu they may also have placed really high.

It's almost like when you don't actually see the movies, you have to whine about the people voting to make the complaints seem 'legitimate'.



Personally, I've made it clear I think there are at least 5 class A stinkers on this list. But so what? It's great other people look for different things in movies than me. And frankly, I wish there were more movies I've never heard of here. It would give me something to seek out. Curiosity and open-mindedness is a wonderful thing to have as a movie viewer.



Welcome to the human race...
After my last post, Raul left me a comment to tell me that this is all just a bit he's doing. This is certainly possible.