The MoFo Top 100 of the 2000s Countdown

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I have a really spotty history with the work of the Coens and O Brother is among those I didn't like. I very strongly dislike George Clooney and found the movie kind of irritating. Being subjected to the soundtrack for months each time I hung out with a particular friend didn't help anything.

I haven't seen Oldboy and the only way that will change is if I'm forced to watch it.
You should watch Alexander Payne's "The Descendents". Feel this is Clooney's very best film.



Oldboy was quite an experience the first time around years ago, been meaning to watch again during this countdown. I'm quite a Coen Bros. fan like all of us, OBWAT was one I liked less than their late 00's collection, but tonight should be a good night to revisit. 75 spots is quite a jump.

I'm guessing I have five votes that are locks and maybe one other that has an outside chance heading into the top 20.



You should watch Alexander Payne's "The Descendents". Feel this is Clooney's very best film.
So far the only movie I've liked with him is Burn After Reading and that's mostly because Pitt and Malkovich are so awesome.



If I had time to prepare for this countdown, Oldboy would have been number 1 on the list of movies I need to see again. It's the kind of movie I'd be completely into, yet the one time I watched it I was very disappointed. I still want to give it another try.

The Coens are extremely hit or miss with me. I love a few of their movies but they have other things that I see as so goofy that I flat out dislike them. Unfortunately Oh Brother is part of the latter. I do seem to recall some decent music though.



Stats: Pit Stop #8





This is the eighth pit stop (80), so here are our stats so far:

Decade Breakdown
  • 2000 = 15
  • 2001 = 9
  • 2002 = 6
  • 2003 = 7
  • 2004 = 9
  • 2005 = 12
  • 2006 = 4
  • 2007 = 6
  • 2008 = 5
  • 2009 = 7

2000 continues to reign supreme, and separates itself from the other years. 2005 is still the closest, with 2001 and 2004 a bit further!


Director Breakdown
  • Joel & Ethan Coen = 3 (O Brother, Where Art Thou?, The Man Who Wasn't There, A Serious Man)
  • Wes Anderson = 3 (The Royal Tenenbaums, Life Aquatic of Steve Zissou, Fantastic Mr. Fox)
  • Brad Bird = 2 (Ratatouille, The Incredibles) = 100%
  • Darren Aronofsky = 2 (Requiem for a Dream, The Wrestler)
  • Bong Joon-ho = 2 (Memories of Murder, Mother)
  • Clint Eastwood = 2 (Mystic River, Million Dollar Baby)
  • Ang Lee = 2 (Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Brokeback Mountain)
  • Danny Boyle = 2 (28 Days Later, Sunshine)
  • Richard Linklater = 2 (Before Sunset, Waking Life)
  • Pete Docter = 2 (Up, Monsters Inc.) = 100%
  • Christopher Nolan = 2 (The Prestige, Batman Begins)

The list continues to grow as the Coen tie with Wes Anderson for the top spot, while Aronofsky and Bong join the list. Also, Brad Bird and Pete Docter go 2/2 each to represent Pixar at 100%!


Genre Breakdown
  • Musical = 2
  • Biopic drama = 6
  • Romantic drama = 5
  • Horror = 5
  • Coming of age = 2
  • Thriller = 10
  • Drama/mystery = 4
  • Comedy drama = 10
  • Action comedy = 3
  • Epic, war drama = 2
  • Psychological drama = 5
  • Animated drama = 2
  • Animated comedy = 6
  • Superhero action = 4
  • Crime = 7
  • Western/Neo-western = 2
  • Science fiction = 2
  • Martial arts = 2
  • Action = 1

80 films in and thrillers have finally caught up with comedy dramas! Crime films, and then animated comedies and biopic dramas are next.


And finally, a bunch of foreign films in this last batch takes our total to 22 out of 80. As for animated, films, we add one more for a total of 8.
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Let the night air cool you off
1. O Brother, Where Art Thou?
3. Everything Will Be OK
5. Synecdoche, New York
9. American Psycho
13. Oldboy
14. Adaptation.
15. Punch-Drunk Love
24. Kill Bill Vol. 2
25. Jason X



Inexplicably I don’t love O Brother after three watches. I love the Coens humor. Think the songs are cool. I just don’t love it, it’s bottom third of their awesome filmography for me.

Did love Oldboy first watch but I haven’t returned to it. Which probably the only reason it didn’t make my list.
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And adding up to our list of notable actor occurrences...

4 FILMS
  • Christian Bale (#38*, #60*, #79*, #99)
  • Bill Murray (#32*, #35, #70, #98*)
  • Willem Dafoe (#44, #70, #79, #98)

3 FILMS
  • George Clooney (#20*, #70*, #68*)
  • Brad Pitt (#51*, #68, #71)
  • Philip Seymour Hoffman (#46*, #73, #90)
  • Cillian Murphy (#45*, #60, #88*)
  • Samuel L. Jackson (#36, #62, #83)

2 FILMS
  • Jake Gyllenhaal (#24*, #52*)
  • Jared Leto (#26*, #79)
  • Frances McDormand (#84, #90)
  • Robert Downey Jr. (#76*, #83*)
  • Tom Hanks (#69*, #72*)
  • Paul Bettany (#83, #100)
  • Colin Farrell (#56*, #99*)
  • Gael García Bernal (#69, #81*)
  • Casey Affleck (#51*, #68)
  • Geoffrey Rush (#63, #67*)
  • Keira Knightley (#63, #93*)
  • Owen Wilson (#35*, #70, #98)
  • Michael Gambon (#70, #98)
  • Brendan Gleeson (#45, #56*)
  • Michelle Williams (#46, #52)
  • Mickey Rourke (#47*, #54*)
  • Ethan Hawke (#42*, #82)
  • Julie Delpy (#42*, #82)
  • Benicio del Toro (#47, #71)
  • Bruce Willis (#47, #62*)
  • Sam Rockwell (#49*, #51)
  • Meryl Streep (#43*, #70*)
  • Scarlett Johansson (#38, #32*)
  • Russell Crowe (#40*, #100*)
  • Joaquin Phoenix (#40, #67)

*means leading part

Again, I'm sure I might be missing something.



Oldboy is a helluva film for sure.

As much as I love the Coens, O Brother is not one I ever really connected with. I don’t think I like when Clooney tries to do comedy. He goes too goofy. The man’s at his best when he’s playing cool, like Ocean’s Eleven or From Dusk Til Dawn.



YES YES YES! Oldboy was my #2! And it's in my top 5 movies of all time. The action and twists wee always good from the getgo, but the plot twists of the last twenty minutes redefine EVERYTHING. Kinda disappointed that O Brother Where Art Thou got more points. I started it, got about 20 minutes in, and was pretty bored.

Sent-In Ballot:

#2. Oldboy (22)
#3. Sin City (47)
#5. Requiem for a Dream (26)
#7. Yi Yi (49)
#10. Casino Royale (37)
#13. Million Dollar Baby (57)
#15. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (53)
#16. Let the Right One In (29)
#20. Iron Man (83)
#22. Pirates of the Caribbean (63)
#25. Hot Fuzz (30)

Post-Ballot:

#2. Oldboy (22)
#3. Sin City (47)
#5. Requiem for a Dream (26)
#7. Yi Yi (49)
#10. Casino Royale (37)
#12. Snatch (71)
#14. Million Dollar Baby (57)
#16. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (53)
#17. Let the Right One In (29)
#18. Slumdog Millionaire (not placed but it made my new 25)
#19. Monsters, Inc. (74)
#22. Iron Man (83)
#23. Fantastic Mr. Fox (70)
#25. Pirates of the Caribbean (63)

Seen 44/80



This is the Coens third entry into the countdown after The Man Who Wasn't There (#84) and A Serious Man (#66). They still have the following films eligible:
  • Intolerable Cruelty (2003)
  • The Ladykillers (2004)
  • No Country for Old Men (2007)
  • Burn After Reading (2008)

Is there any chance that they'll go 100%??
I think one, maybe 2 max of those 4 make it. No Country will make it for sure. And I think it's a coin flip whether Burn After Reading makes the cut (although it probably needs to show up soon if it does make it).



Haven't seen O Brother, Where Art Thou?, but I should probably get around to it at some point.

I remember liking Oldboy quite a bit, but that as a while ago, so I barely remember it. I'm curious to find out if a rewatch will cement it as a gateway film I moved on from or a legitimate great film. Only one way to find out...
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Oldboy is my #6, the ultimate revenge film and one of the first foreign language films I saw and fell in love with, need to revisit it- been to long

O Brother is solid Coen but no where near my favorite, certainly an entertaining watch


My List
1. The Pianist (2002)
2. Donnie Darko (2001)
6. Oldboy (2003)
8. Gran Torino (2008). (#108)
11. Caché (2005)
12. Ratatouille (2007)
15. Downfall (2004)
16. Dancer in the Dark (2000)
17. A Serious Man (2009)
18. Requiem for a Dream (2000)
21. Battle Royale (2000)
22. City of God (2002)
25. Bellamy (2009. (1 pointer)
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Oldboy I seen it and I totally get why people love it, but not me I previously wrote this about it:
Oldboy...Did Quentin Tarantino dirty up the rest of the world's cinema with pulpy, cheesy torture fluff scenes? OMG I hope not!!! But Oldboy sure seems like Pulp Fiction meets Disney mass entertainment...and I blame Tarantino

O Brother
...I haven't seen it but I like the Coen films that I've seen, so should be right my alley.



Seen: 60/80

Added O Brother, Where Art Thou? to my ballot at the last second', my #25.
I wanted to include at least one film on my ballot that features song/dance and could fit in the 'music' genre.

No vote but Oldboy is solid and deserves a spot on the list.

Ballot: 13/25




Oldboy I seen it and I totally get why people love it, but not me I previously wrote this about it:
.
Don't get the comparison with Pulp Fiction at all. Totally different films. Oldboy has some flashbacks maybe but Pulp Fiction is a very good hyperlink film, sure with some revenge themes but so much more than that.



28 days...6 hours...42 minutes...12 seconds
22. Oldboy (2003)

I was straight up shook when I first watched this film and still think it delivers on many levels. I still can hear Oh Dae-su screaming and barking like a dog in the climax. The music is sharp, the camera work is just right for this story and the mystery builds and unravels at a good pace. Oldboy rocks.

Terrible Americanized remake though.
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Suspect's Reviews



Society ennobler, last seen in Medici's Florence
• After I've noticed its popularity, I saw O Brother, Where Art Thou? couple of years ago.
Being the guys supported by the ruling rings, the Coen Brothers always have grand budgets. That's why, this movie is a feast of the cinematography and scenography and that's all. Alas, what a disappointment was the empty screenplay. Couldn't believe this mediocrity was by these prominent filmmakers. I rate it
only because of the nice photography.

The film was ranked #7 on MoFo 2000 Film Chart.


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Oldboy is in my watch list of the last years but still can't find it.

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my stats

Top 100 seen 42/80.
(seen one pointers 3/38 • seen 101-110: 5/10)
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My list:
...
4. Snatch [#71.]
5. The Royal Tenenbaums [#35.]
...
8. Sideways [#39.]
9. Amores perros [#81.]
10. The Wrestler [#54.]
...
12. The Pianist [#31.]
14. The Man Who Wasn't There [#84.]
...

--

Not on my ballot Top 100 movies I'd support:  
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Don't get the comparison with Pulp Fiction at all. Totally different films. Oldboy has some flashbacks maybe but Pulp Fiction is a very good hyperlink film, sure with some revenge themes but so much more than that.
It's cool if you don't, for me personally the second half after he's out of his prison room and involved in the payback killing reminded me of Pulp Fiction.



I saw Oldboy when it was new. Didn't really get what all the hype was about then. Maybe I should give it a rewatch one day. One of those films where the twists seemed more important than being a good and entertaining watch. I haven't seen O Brother, Where Art Thou?.

Seen: 39/80
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