The MoFo Top 100 of the 2000s Countdown

This is interesting, at least to me! Both of today's movies I watched for the first time as part of my I need some 2000s movie recommendations that I will actually watch!

@gomorra82 suggested A Serious Man to me, I was impressed but it didn't make my ballot. I wrote this:

Mystic River is the kind of movie I think I may have really been into when I was a teen, before I became disillusioned with films that know exactly how they want you to feel, and just keep ringing their Pavlovian narrative bell to keep you engaged. While Eastwood is a competent director, even when directing total pap like The Mule, for my money competence is the death of art when that becomes the selling point. And when I think of Mystic River, I just think to myself 'ya, that film was put together like a film like this is supposed to be put together', then slip into a coma and drool all over my chin. While I can get while it is popular, much like the beloved Shawshank Redemption, it does not engage me in any way that it needs to in order for me to give a ****. But it is a movie, I will give it that. Actors act, stuff happens, and emotions supposedly ensue. Now hand me my chin-bib.


I did not like A Serious Man when I first saw it for its big screen premier (with Coens and most of the cast in audience). It felt to me like a slide into some kind of self parody and each scenes mounting weirdness seemed to be in service of little more than tormenting its main character, who I had no investment in. A second watch really pulled the film into focus though, and for me it now resonates as one of their most emotionally impactful films. It's also really funny (on rewatch) and the end is fantastic (the only part I appreciated on my first viewing). It didn't quite make my list, but it was close.

Another 4 star pairing with no votes from me but pleased to see them both. I love the acting and the atmosphere in Mystic River. I think Serious Man is up there with the most humorous Coen flicks. I have watched it a couple times and, unfortunately, don’t have a great memory for it. Thank God I live in the age where I can pop it in every few years because it’s a great watch.

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Letterboxd

Didn't like a serious man when I saw it. Not sure I've ever seen Mystic River!

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I sorta like the beer on the rooftop scene....sorta.....

Critics

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Critics thoughts on our #66, A Serious Man...



It currently has a 89% Certified Fresh Tomatometer score among critics, and a 7.1/10 score on IMDb (with 139,000 votes).

Roger Ebert gave it ★★★★ and said:

"Have I mentioned A Serious Man is so rich and funny? This isn't a laugh-laugh movie, but a wince-wince movie. Those can be funny, too. The Coens have found mostly unfamiliar actors, or those like Stuhlbarg, Kind and Melamed you've seen before, but you're not quite sure where."

Meanwhile Deborah Ross, of The Spectator, said:

"This film does have its delicious moments ... and Michael Stuhlbarg does give an excellent, exasperated, frazzled lead performance, even if the character is such a dead loss. But without any warmth or expansiveness it all seems too cruelly easy and shrivelling somehow."

As for our MoFo reviewers, @mark f said:

"To me, this is one of the Coens' most-personal films, and I bet it contains as many OR MORE scenes based on their real lives as any of their others. So, for me, it's not that they're "on autopilot", but that they feel they've earned the right to make a film which is just so personal, even if others hate it."

And @seanc said:

"I love the Coens, I love almost every film they have done. One of the things that I like best about their films is the characters they create. Even their most seldom used characters always feel like part of the world they are creating. They have nuance, they give us reason to laugh with them, cheer them on, or root against them. That is why this effort is so disappointing to me. A Serious Man is practically unrecognizable as a Coen brother film."

Critics

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Critics thoughts on our #65, Mystic River...



It currently has an 88% Certified Fresh Tomatometer score among critics, and a 7.9/10 score on IMDb (with 442,000 votes).

Roger Ebert gave it ★★★★ and said:

"To see strong acting like this is exhilarating. In a time of flashy directors who slice and dice their films in a dizzy editing rhythm, it is important to remember that films can look and listen and attentively sympathize with their characters. Directors grow great by subtracting, not adding, and Eastwood does nothing for show, everything for effect."

Meanwhile Ella Taylor, of Reelviews, said:

"Where Lehane's novel seethes with emotionally charged subtext, Eastwood's workmanlike direction feels static -- fatally tasteful, embalmed in gravitas -- while his sporadic efforts at dramatic heightening come off as vulgar clich."

As for our MoFo reviewers, @Lennon said:

"The most outstanding thing about MR is the acting. Tim Robbins, playing the sexually abused adult, is probably given the emotional role. You can actually see him going insane, and the interrogation scene with Fishburne and Bacon is just purely amazing."

And @Jack1 said:

"The story is predictable - normally I love mystery films, but here I just wanted the whole thing to be over. It has the feel of a film that tries to be better than it is; the material wasn't there so they tried to ham up the whole thing and try to garner some praise. Well, they got the praise but I don't think it was deserved. Coming from a fan of Eastwood's work - both acting and directing - I thought this was poor. Not recommended, though others seemed to enjoy it."

Trailers

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Mystic River was my number 11. This film was in my initial group of nominees, but when I was looking over the list, several films jumped out as being only distant memories, since I hadn't seen them since their initial release. Mystic River was one of the first films I added to my re-watch list. Oddly, my wife hadn't seen this. I had assumed that since she was such a huge Eastwood fan, that she would have most certainly seen this at least once. So, I randomly put this on one Saturday night, as she was putting around the house doing various things. About halfway through, she sat down on the couch and said "What movie is this? It seems really intense."

Huzzuh?? Whoops! She had caught bits and pieces as I watched, but after sitting down, she remained on the couch for the rest of film.

I had remembered thinking it was well done, that Penn was over-the-top, as usual, and that it was a real downer. All true! Alas, now that I am a father, this one...what do the kids say now? This one hit differently this time. I love that it takes place near where I live, and I think many of the actors are pitch perfect. Not all, though. Penn is definitely over-the-top, and Robbins sort of sleep-walks through his roll. The rest of the cast kills it, especially Marcia Gay Harden.

After this viewing, I thought about the film for days, and it ended up on my list once all was said an done.

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I've seen Mystic River. It's a wellmade and involving film, with Sean Penn tearing his heart out in the lead role. He portrays someone going through emotional pain mixed with unhinged anger so well it's scary. Just like Hugh Jackman in Prisoners, you don't know whether to feel for him or be terrified.


It could've been just as hardhitting as Changeling in fact if Still great, just not flawless.

I always have an extra attraction to films set or filmed in Boston and Mystic River is no exception.

The 2nd Coen that's shown up is the 2nd Coen I haven't seen.

6. The Devil's Rejects (2005) (#94)
11. Mystic River (2003) (#65)
15. Amores Perros (2000) (#81)
17. Y tu mamá también (2001) (#95)

I love Fantastic Mr. Fox. Unfortunately, I love the book and not this film, mostly because I haven't seen it. It's my favourite book as a child (I rarely read fiction) and I thought it'd make a great film. Obviously an animation, but that didn't matter, I wanted it. Then, decades later, I heard they were making it. YES!! Then I saw who was directing. Ah. OK, not great, but it's the story. It won't matter. Then I saw the models they were using and I dropped it there and then. Horrid, scratchy looking things. There was no way I was going to sit there and look at them for 2 hours. I have seen clips and they're horrible. I even sat and tried to watch a little of it a few years ago. I think I made it through about 4 or 5 minutes. Such a waste.

I bought Cast Away and I've still not seen it. I wonder now if I'd even like it? I've seen both Ocean's Eleven and Quills. Quills is really good, Ocean's Eleven isn't. At least, not to me. In terms of quality I don't remember there being a problem, it's just not something I enjoyed.

I've not seen A Serious Man but I did see Mystic River. This was around the time I started to fall out of love with modern cinema but I only realised that looking back. Mystic River was OK, but felt like it thought it was more. I didn't like the look of it very much (I was sick and tired of teal by Narc the year before) and it looked and felt like an acting lesson. I don't mean that in a good way.

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5-time MoFo Award winner.

I like this rooftop scene from "A Serious Man".

I've seen both, #65-66, long time ago.
We've been in the theatre for Mystic River back then. It was highly acclaimed for the awards season (Oscars etc.). I hardly remember details but, I think it was somehow overdone tragedy on some banal source of drama. I don't feel a desire for revision.

As for A Serious Man, I remember we came across it accidentally about ten years ago in our local video rentals place. It was interesting but I really need to re-watch it and I'd like to.

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stats
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Seen 19/36.
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My list:
#4. Snatch [#71.]
#9. Amores perros [#81.]
#14. The Man Who Wasn't There [#84.]

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(seen one pointers 3/38)

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"Population don't imitate art, population imitate bad television." W.A.
"You can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus." M.T.

Whole heartedly agree this. Just finished watching and it's a lot better than I remember but my goodness if I never hear a person not from Boston speaking in overly Boston accent again I'll die a happy man.

TIME TO CATCH UP


Monsters, Inc. This could have easily made my list if not for the several animations already on it. Great, feel good film, top-notch Pixar.

Punch-Drunk Love If not for Sandler this would be a good film. And I would LOVE to say this is the exception for Sandler but because of how I feel about him, which is:


Catch Me If You Can I caught it. Enjoyed it and let it go.


Snatch Being a Guy Ritchie fanboy I was pretty heartbroken I couldn't fit this on my List and pretty ecstatic to see it make it.

Fantastic Mr. Fox Only seen this once and just couldn't get into it. Can't remember the exact reasons but it was one of those films that SHOULD have worked for me, and yet, somehow didn't.

Cast Away I'm sure I would thoroughly enjoy this if I ever got around to see it.


Ocean's Eleven is one of our Watch Over and Over and Over Again films and yet somehow missed getting on my list.


Quills Another Truly Needed To Be but Didn't Make My List. Loved this at the theater when it came out and will happily meander my way to it now and again.

A Serious Man Completely missed the Coen Brothers film. Gonna hafta Rectify That.


Mystic River Though I've only seen this about three or four times it hits hard and stays with me for quite some time after.





Films Watched 23 out of 36 (63.89%)
14. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (#76)
17. Mother (#96)
25. A Bittersweet Life (One Pointer)


One Pointers: 10 out of 38 (26.31%)[/quote]

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What I actually said to win MovieGal's heart:
- I might not be a real King of Kinkiness, but I make good pancakes

~Mr Minio

LOVE A Serious Man and so happy it made the list, similar to No Country I only appreciated it on later viewings, and now it's definitely in my favorite Coens. Truly great film

Liked Mystic River enough circa 13 years ago

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So we got me, Sedai and Cricket for Mystic River. Who are the other 4?