The MoFo Top 100 of the 2000s Countdown

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Little bit surprised that Harry Potter was completely shut out. (6 eligible films)
I wonder if that would be the case if our membership skewed a bit younger.

I certainly didn't vote for any, can't even remember which ones I've seen. But it was obviously a pretty big deal, culturally speaking.

(Star Wars and Twilight both had 2 eligible films each, but it's less surprising that those didn't make it)
The Harry Potter snub is one of the things I brought up with Yoda (seems that ended up in the cutting room floor). I've barely seen one of the films, but they're popular nonetheless. It was quite shocking.

For what it's worth, only two got votes: Azkaban at #137 and Half-Blood Prince at #278.
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Will a spreadsheet be available for point totals outside the top 100? or maybe just a list of the next 50-100 movies....



The Sorcerer's Stone got pulled off the subs bench for #36 so at least the Faildictions program represented the HP series



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Will a spreadsheet be available for point totals outside the top 100? or maybe just a list of the next 50-100 movies....
Would be very nice...
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ZODIAC: I adore this movie, and I say that as someone who pretty much always gets aggravated by the film with every watch. As it just keeps scratching deeper and deeper, the more and more we are aware there can't be any resolution. The excitement that once greeted the discovery of every coincidence or clue or conspiracy, has now become an agrieved sense of despair as these characters lives just disappear into a place where all that is left for them are fragments left behind by a man who can neither be found or understood. Enjoyment isn't really the point anymore as we struggle to the end of the film. The buzz of mystery and suspense and intrigue and rock and roll and gleaming 70's nostalgia has worn off. We are stuck in a perpetual look of disappointment. And as the end of the film nears, there is a dread over wasted time. Fincher articulates the many perils of obsession so well, we in the audience also feel we have lost years from our life at the conclusion. Great stuff, as the first half is just so satisfying as a straight up suspense film, and the remainder plays as almost a cruel meta joke on those of us who get off on these true crime tails. Easily Fincher's best.


RETURN OF THE KING: I know this is the one from the trilogy that I enjoyed the most, from start to finish. All the fake endings drove me nuts, but other than this, I remember feeling this was a perfect blend of character, spectacle, emotion adventure and action. Where I felt the other two bungled this mix a bit.


PAN'S LABYRINTH: I used to work in a children's book store, and there used to be a specific picture book illustrator that my co-worker hated to such a point that she said 'looking at her drawings makes me not hungry'. Considering the only thing on earth she seemed to care about was what her lunch that day was, it was a serious diss. And there is something about the look of Del Toro's films that make me 'not hungry'. I can't place exactly where this lies, but his fantastical characters always look like they should be in a movie I would hate. Like Nightbreed. Or Basketcase 2. So I have a bias against the guys work on a kind of primal level. That said,he's clearly a talented guy, with a unique vision, and I can't imagine this is his best. Others have already mentioned the tie between the fairy tale violence we placate ourselves with, and the real violence we need to escape from, so I won't get into that. But this is an ideal premise for anything by Del Toro. Very good, even if not entirely for me (I definitely should give it a rewatch at some point though)


ETERNAL SUNSHINE: Few movies have ever fused their seemingly limitless visual and conceptual imagination so well with the structure and purpose of the actual film. Flittering through Carey's memories as they are slowly erased, is full of a deep melancholy due to his reasons for deleting them, but never stops being a total cinematic joy as Gondry uses this as an excuse to break open the possibilities of film as a visual art form. It is a film that works on complete instinct, confidently blasting along from scene to scene, even as the scenes begin to make less and less sense narratively, and seem to be mostly connected by some emotional logic. It's a brilliant film that really can't have enough good things said about it. I didn't include it on my list though, simply because Gondry kind of lost his mojo after this, and I now associate him with the weakest kinds of whimsy. This doesn't make Sunshine any less of a great movie, of course, but it did bias me just enough to have it just miss my list.


SPIRITED AWAY: any movie that succesfully adopts the kind of dream logic odyssey that Lewis Carroll perfected with Alice in Wonderland is going to be a winner in my book. I love movies that give me indelible images that live with me forever, and Spirited Away has these in spades. It is the best think Miyazaki has done besides Totoro, which is high praises, as you can probably argue that most of his films are masterpieces. Didn't make my list though. I think I forgot about it.


MULHOLLAND DRIVE: I personally think this is a middle of the pack Lynch....so still one of the best movies of the last thirty years. No one understands the link between the grotesque, the terrifying, the funny and the outright stupid as well as Lynch. No one. And his reimagining of a very old Hollywood tale, just loosely enough that he can manipulate the reality that surrounds this fairly conventional story into a landscape we hardly recognize by its end. Deserving of its stature. Maybe one of these days though, the general public will allow the almost completely impenetrable Inland Empire into the public consciousness. Then I will really believe that the human race is starting to evolve into something better.


THERE WILL BE BLOOD: Outside of the scenes that bookend this film, I remember almost nothing in between. But this film was so impactful to me when I watched it years ago, it made my list anyways. I know there is good stuff in the middle too. I can feel it under my skin. But as to any particulars that I can comment on, its completely ghosted me. But, man, that opening! That ending! Do modern films get better? PT Anderson is the greatest working American filmmaker these days. And this is one of his best (whatever it is)


FELLOWSHIP: Why version of this movie is they don't go anywhere and just stay in Hobbitville. There was never really any way of topping the beginning of this film for me. It's perfect. Like, literally perfect. And then there is a great chase scene with those things on the horses. For a moment I did deceive myself into thinking it could get better.....And then......elves................and an aggravatingly endless and (honestly) fairly bland epic battle that goes on for....an hour?......a month?.....is it still going on?.........somehow at the end of Return of the King a thought it might slip back into this concluding fight and I'd never escape it.....I hate the last half of this movie. Which is such a shame because that first hour or so is just so unbelievably good.


NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN: Great movie!



My embarrassingly terrible list that I made in about ten minutes.




24 Hour Party People

Kill Bill Vol 1

Kill Bill Vol 2

Lake Mungo

Synechode New York

No Country for Old Men

Zodiac

Adventureland

Mulholland Drive

Requiem for a Dream

There Will Be Blood

Downfall

Almost Famous

Waking Life

Let the Right One In

Triplets of Belleville

White Ribbon

Erin Brockovich

Dancer in the Dark

Amelie

FUBAR

American Psycho

Marie Antoinette

Movern Callar

Swimming Pool




Welcome to the human race...
Little bit surprised that Harry Potter was completely shut out. (6 eligible films)
I wonder if that would be the case if our membership skewed a bit younger.

I certainly didn't vote for any, can't even remember which ones I've seen. But it was obviously a pretty big deal, culturally speaking.

(Star Wars and Twilight both had 2 eligible films each, but it's less surprising that those didn't make it)
I think there are a few factors. Having six eligible films is liable to split the vote a bit, but I never really thought of Harry Potter as a franchise with particularly strong individual installments. Out of those six, I reckon Prisoner of Azkaban is the closest it gets to having a consensus pick for the best, and even then I have to wonder how much it really holds up as its own thing (contrast that against Spider-Man 2, which managed to crack the list while the original didn't). Granted, it has Cuaron infusing the franchise with a more mature personality that initially helped it to stand out from its predecessors, but then its sequels started copying it and ended up making it seem more homogeneous in retrospect.
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Iro's Top 100 Movies v3.0



even i voted for No Country lol. one of the two actually effective thrillers ever made (sh*t genre). was always under the impression people thought TWBB got screwed at the oscar's that year but i guess perception has changed.



Before I officially bow down, I'm gonna give some love to my picks that didn't make it...



5. Conspiracy (2001) Most people that know me know that I adore this film. It follows the events of the Wannsee Conference, held by a group of high-ranking Nazis during World War II, to ensure their cooperation on the "Final Solution" and delineate some logistics about the "program". However, the meeting was primarily a power play by Reinhard Heydrich (played by Kenneth Branagh) as he attempted to consolidate support and power from the party. Sure, it's just a bunch of guys sitting at a table and talking, but there's something chilling about seeing these men discuss the extermination of millions while munching hors d'oeuvres. Solid cast that includes Stanley Tucci and Colin Firth. Here's something I wrote about it a while ago.




8. Syriana (2005) A superbly acted film with a labyrinthine plot of corruption and deception, split in multiple converging storylines. Executives in an oil company merger, a CIA operative, a TV economist, a Saudi prince, and two young Pakistani immigrants recruited by extremists. This is one that always amazes me but also makes me shake my head at the realities that it shows us about the multiple ripple effects among seemingly unrelated events. The cast, which includes George Clooney, Chris Cooper, Jeffrey Wright, Matt Damon, Alexander Siddig, Christopher Plummer, and many, many others is superb. Love it.




14. The Road (2009) A dystopian, post-apocalyptic film unlike most, it follows a man (Viggo Mortensen) and his son (Kodi Smith-McPhee) as they take the road to flee the upcoming winter. The film has little dialogue but rather relies on visuals of the desolate landscapes or the broken-down characters to convey the harshness of their reality. Bleak, depressing, but perfectly made. Here's something I wrote about it a while ago. It also features Robert Duvall and Michael K. Williams in brief roles.




15. The Village (2004) Most people that know me know about my love for this Shyamalan film. This was the first time that he really surprised me. The way he builds atmosphere and dread and mystery, only to deconstruct his own tropes of the supernatural, I thought was excellent. Here is another article I wrote a while ago about it, but to me, it has only improved with subsequent viewings. Great cast with Bryce Dallas Howard, William Hurt, and Joaquin Phoenix.




16. Moulin Rouge! (2000) An explosion of color and music and frenzy unlike any other I've seen! Baz Luhrmann goes all in with a frenetic direction that invades every sense. Following the tragic story of a young writer (Ewan McGregor) that falls in love with Satine (Nicole Kidman), a cabaret performer. The highlight might be the direction and all the huzzpah, but at the core there's a moving story anchored by great performances from the two leads. Not only that, but the way that Luhrmann cleverly integrates current music into its period timeframe, I thought was genius. Arguably my favorite musical of all time.




17. Once (2007) And speaking of musicals, here is another one that I absolutely adore. Following two struggling musicians (Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová), the film uses their growing relationship to create an emotional core that feels real and organic, and that also gives birth to one of my favorite soundtracks ever. Pretty much every song here is perfectly performed, but also emotionally charged. Easily on my Top 5 romantic films ever.




18. Paradise Now (2005) This is another one I babble on about quite often. The film follows two Palestinians as they prepare for a suicide attack in Israel. I remember I saw this in theaters back then and I was mesmerized by it. It's a film I haven't managed to shake off. Really powerful and thought-provoking, and one that I'm often surprised that I don't see mentioned more often, as far as foreign films go. Love it.




19. Road to Perdition (2002) Back in the day, mMuch was said about Tom Hanks playing "a killer", but let's be honest, he's "a killer" pit against worst "killers", so there's really not much difference. But putting those expectations aside, this is a great story about the consequences of our actions and the opportunity for redemption. It is a nice turn from pretty much everyone involved. Especially seeing a neat, early turn for Daniel Craig before he became Bond, and obviously Paul Newman's final performance. Add to that, Mendes directing and Conrad Hall flawless cinematography. This is yet another one I wrote about back in the day (click here) and one that I've come to appreciate more and more with time.




22. (500) Days of Summer (2009) Probably my second favorite romcom. The film follows the relationship between Tom and Summer (Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel) as it grows and evolve. I love how unconventional the film is in its narrative and the way the story eventually unfolds, but all that is built on the excellent performances from JGL and Deschanel. Marc Webb does a great job adding some flair to the directing, but it all goes back to our two leads and they deliver.




24. Bridge to Terabithia (2007) And speaking of Deschanel, here is another one from her. This one follows Jesse (Josh Hutcherson), a bullied kid that has to push aside his artistic dreams because of the financial struggles at home. This changes when he meets new neighbor Leslie (AnnaSophia Robb), as their friendship helps them both grow. This is a film that straddles that fine line between being heart-warming and touching, with harsh drama and realism. One of those that always gets to me, no matter how many times I've seen it. Here's something I wrote back in the day.




25. Bamboozled (2000) I could've sworn I would be the only one to vote for this, so I was sure it would made the One-Pointers, but for better or worse, someone else got it. This is a film that has stuck with me ever since I saw it. It follows Pierre Delacroix (Damon Wayans), an African-American producer that develops a minstrel show with black actors *with blackface* with the intention of being fired. However, when the show becomes an unsuspecting hit, things change for everyone involved. Directed and written by Spike Lee, you know this is going to be a sharply written satire. If you're like me, the statements he makes about the representations of African-Americans in media are surely to stick with you.



That's all from me! A lot of thanks to the MoFo crowd for bringing up my name to host this, and thanks to everybody for the kind words all through the day. I hope I did good, but even if I didn't, it was a pleasure and a lot of fun. Thanks to @Yoda for all the backstage help, and to @Holden Pike for the always timely and much needed stats and updates regarding previous lists.

And obviously, thanks to everybody that voted, commented, bickered, whined (talking to you, @rauldc14 ), and celebrated all through the thread. Apologies for anything I might've messed up or if I offended anyone. Nevertheless, I look forward to doing this again... just not for a while






FELLOWSHIP: Why version of this movie is they don't go anywhere and just stay in Hobbitville. There was never really any way of topping the beginning of this film for me. It's perfect. Like, literally perfect. And then there is a great chase scene with those things on the horses. For a moment I did deceive myself into thinking it could get better.....And then......elves................and an aggravatingly endless and (honestly) fairly bland epic battle that goes on for....an hour?......a month?.....is it still going on?.........somehow at the end of Return of the King a thought it might slip back into this concluding fight and I'd never escape it.....I hate the last half of this movie. Which is such a shame because that first hour or so is just so unbelievably good.


NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN: Great movie!
I’m not being sarcastic or flippant, I’m genuinely asking for some clarification. You’re saying there’s a big epic battle at the end of Fellowship? Are you referring to the skirmish on the banks of the river? Because I thought that was pretty small and short. I only saw the EE once, did they add more to that or something that I don’t remember?



I think there are a few factors. Having six eligible films is liable to split the vote a bit, but I never really thought of Harry Potter as a franchise with particularly strong individual installments. Out of those six, I reckon Prisoner of Azkaban is the closest it gets to having a consensus pick for the best, and even then I have to wonder how much it really holds up as its own thing (contrast that against Spider-Man 2, which managed to crack the list while the original didn't). Granted, it has Cuaron infusing the franchise with a more mature personality that initially helped it to stand out from its predecessors, but then its sequels started copying it and ended up making it seem more homogeneous in retrospect.
I completely agree, I only mentioned it because the series was such A BIG DEAL for so many people (again, from a no-doubt-younger demographic than we have here.) But in my world there's not a big difference (in quality) between Potter and the Pirates franchise. Given the much bigger fandom that surrounds Potter, it was just a surprise that the PotC film ranked so highly instead.

Not a complaint, certainly. I've no horse in the race. Just something that occurred to me.
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I’m not being sarcastic or flippant, I’m genuinely asking for some clarification. You’re saying there’s a big epic battle at the end of Fellowship? Are you referring to the skirmish on the banks of the river? Because I thought that was pretty small and short. I only saw the EE once, did they add more to that or something that I don’t remember?

I think the battle on the river bank is probably the only part that would technically qualify as a 'battle'...but there is just a very long stretch of fighting and running and fighting and running that goes on after that (and I believe before it as well), and I just found all of that action pretty uninteresting.


And one only needs to look at the battle in Two Towers as to how to make such a thing consistently engaging. And it was probably significantly longer.



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Yeah, I never questioned its absence for the same reason I didn't ask where Twilight or Transformers were. I do have to wonder how many people voted for Potter films (if any), then which ones and for how much. You might be right about it being an age thing - I was in the target demographic when the first few films dropped but I simply aged out of them before I left high school. Also, this being a movie forum, I think there's a good chance of people simply acknowledging that there are so many better movies out there (even PotC, which I reckon is at least a moderately competent blockbuster that has enough personality and craft to make it stand out on its own, even if it's not necessarily great).



Society ennobler, last seen in Medici's Florence
My Stats

Top 100 seen 60/100.
(seen one pointers 3/38 • seen 101-110: 5/10)
--
My list:

1. Babel
2. Vicky Cristina Barcelona
3. Amélie [#16.]
4. Snatch [#71.]
5. The Royal Tenenbaums [#35.]
6. Billy Elliot
7. About Schmidt
8. Sideways [#39.]
9. Amores perros [#81.]
10. The Wrestler [#54.]

11. Whatever Works
12. The Pianist [#31.]
13. The Consequences of Love
14. The Man Who Wasn't There [#84.]
15. Love Actually
16. In the Mood for Love [#12.]
17. Last Orders
18. The Queen
19. Kill Bill: Vol. 1 [#14.]
20. The Curse of the Jade Scorpion

21. Charlie Wilson's War
22. Peculiarities of the National Hunt in the Winter
23. The Terminal
24. WALL·E [#13.]
25. There Will Be Blood [#3.]
...


--

Not on my ballot Top 100 movies I'd support:  




Pretty criminal that Gran Torino didn't make it. State of Play I had to be the only voter but I love it
I assume Hangover got some more points. Gone Baby Gone seems to remain criminally underway he's. Made the millennium list but no dice here.
I liked Gran Torino quite a bit, but I would probably put Letters of Iwo Jima, Flags of Our Fathers, and Mystic River above it.

Gone Baby Gone is one that if I had rewatched, might've sneaked in my list. I remember liking it a lot, but it's been a while.

The Hangover was pretty bad. I'm sorry



I’d give all three of the top 3 a
, but the best film won. Happy to see , I’ll post my list later today
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Yeah, I never questioned its absence for the same reason I didn't ask where Twilight or Transformers were. I do have to wonder how many people voted for Potter films (if any), then which ones and for how much. You might be right about it being an age thing - I was in the target demographic when the first few films dropped but I simply aged out of them before I left high school. Also, this being a movie forum, I think there's a good chance of people simply acknowledging that there are so many better movies out there (even PotC, which I reckon is at least a moderately competent blockbuster that has enough personality and craft to make it stand out on its own, even if it's not necessarily great).
Also, although the Potter fandom IS huge, we can't forget that a big part of that is due to the books. So that might be a factor too. I'm sure there's people that love one and not the other.



Seen: 55/100

14. The Proposition (2005)
23. [REC] (2007)
These were two I strongly considered for my list. I cut REC fairly early, but The Proposition was a late cut that hurt a bit.