The MoFo Top 100 of the 2000s Countdown

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Second the quotes from a critic/mofo comment. Even on days I couldn’t read anything, I still checked out those. Despite me having to wince at some of my old reviews all over again.
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Ghost World was my #18, an exercise in adapting the cult comic book about two disaffected teenage girls as they dealt with the immediate aftermath of graduating high school and having to deal with what happens next - one does what she can to fight against the possibility of conforming while the other gradually acquiesces to the opportunity for stability. Throw in a middle-aged jazz obsessive to further complicate things and you have an indie dramedy that feels more genuine in its efforts to deal with the arrested development behind youthful cynicism than something superficially similar like, say, Reality Bites.
Ooh, good call (and writeup). I'm not sure how it didn't make my list. Oh well, we all make mistakes.

I don't have much else to say other than like Office Space and Fight Club, I believe that it's a worthy time capsule of the late '90s/early '00s for how it reminds us how strong the economy was and that it was as if jobs grew on trees. We didn't question that someone like Enid's friend Rebecca could easily find one without a college education and even make enough money to afford an apartment. How times have changed.



I don't like and didn't vote for either of these, but I am happy to see that LOTR didn't come out on top.

Great job hosting @Thief! And thank you for all the hard work you've done here. It's been a lot of fun!



My Full Ballot:


1. Quills (Philip Kaufman, 2000) / #67


2. Gladiator (Ridley Scott, 2000) / #40


3. Up (Pete Docter and Bob Peterson, 2009) / #33


4. Mary and Max. (Adam Elliot, 2009)


5. Ratatouille (Brad Bird and Jan Pinkava, 2007) / #23


6. Hedwig and the Angry Inch (John Cameron Mitchell, 2001) / #92


7. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Michel Gondry, 2004) / #6


8. 3:10 to Yuma (James Mangold, 2007)


9. Lilo & Stitch (Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders, 2002)


10. Bubba Ho-tep (Don Coscarelli, 2002)


11. Black Snake Moan (Craig Brewer, 2006)


12. WALL·E (Andrew Stanton, 2008) / #13


13. The Libertine (Laurence Dunmore, 2004)


14. The Departed (Martin Scorsese, 2006) / #19


15. Tokyo Godfathers (Satoshi Kon, 2003)


16. Waltz with Bashir (Ari Folman, 2007)


17. A Town Called Panic (Stéphane Aubier and Vincent Patar, 2009)


18. Cold Mountain (Anthony Minghella, 2003)


19. Ghost World (Terry Zwigoff, 2001)


20. Walk the Line (James Mangold, 2005)


21. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (Gore Verbinski, 2003) / #63


22. A Mighty Wind (Christopher Guest, 2003)


23. Open Range (Kevin Costner, 2003)


24. Inglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino, 2009) / #18


25. Surf's Up (Ash Brannon and Chris Buck, 2007) / One-Pointer



I’m alright…

Let me just sit here a minute.


Despite a main theme of the film being retirement this little masterpiece right here wasn’t about retire just to bow down to a bunch of midgets and birthday magicians. Hell naw. Anton Chigurh and co. took care of The Fellowship behind curtains and got ready for curtain call.



The LOTR trilogy is highly regarded but even so No Country for Old Men didn’t just pull the victory out of thin air… it took that air and used it to blow Frodo and his fellowship all way across middle earth and got the 3 times 3 hour trilogy over and done with in a split second, so we can all just move on from the #2 and simply focus on what matters: THE #1 MOVIE OF ALL TIME AND THE #1 ON MY LIST (obviously).

What a film. A slow burn tension-filled mood piece filled with sharp dialogue, dense atmosphere and the greatest cat and mouse display since Tom and Jerry. Ain’t nobody more disturbingly mental but brilliantly smart than the calm craze of Anton Chigurh. A character who was also voted by psychologists as the most authentic display of a genuine madman on film. Which is very understandable.

I love disappearing into the world of a Coen movie and their flair for creating a world that feels lived in and characters who live before and beyond the runtime. You are instantly right there in the midst of everything and you feel like you’ve been there for a while even if the movie just started.

So many scenes stands as iconic for me and picking a favorite would be nearly impossible… it would be much easier to flip a coin, which I would if only the movie itself didn’t already have the perfect scene for that. The gas station coin sequence is one of my favorite scenes of all time. The Coens are in complete control guided by two great performances. The Coens are so particular and so precise and I love everything about that. Even just the sound used for the paper on the counter as it expands slowly is perfection.

I could write about this movie until old age, but honestly, the film speaks for itself. It’s a masterwork and I’m glad to have represented it here on MoFo for as long as I’ve been a member. Perhaps I’ve secretly sown some seeds into the subconscious minds of unknowing MoFos from the very beginning. Whatever the case might be, I’m glad to see it finish at number one on the countdown.

To finish off, I would like to end with a quote. Or a note. More like a thought perhaps. Maybe a memory. Or just a dream…

I had dreams… two of ’em. Both had this movie in ’em. It’s peculiar. I’m older now than I was when I first discovered the film. So, in a sense, I’ve become wiser. Anyway, the first one I don’t remember too well but, it was about being in town somewhere and buying a copy with my own money. I think I lost it. The second one, it was like I was back further in older times and I was on my couch watching the film one night. Goin’ through this amazing experience again. It was warm and there was a fire going in the wood stove and the time just flew by as the film passed through all other favorites in my mind and just kept on goin’. It was like it didn’t have to try as it was goin’ by – it just rode past ‘em all. I had my blanket wrapped around me and my head up. Completely focused. When the runtime had past and the movie was over, there was a fire going in my mind. A burning sensation and I could sense the light inside - about the color of the desert in golden hour. And in the dream I knew that this movie was going on ahead and fixin’ its place as a favorite somewhere in there within that burning light and all that warmth. And I knew that whenever my mind caught up with it, it’d be there. As my number one movie of all time. And then I woke up…

… woke up only to see that all was true. Several years later and it’s still my favorite film. And it’s also favorited enough here to be crowned king and placed on top of all films of the 2000s.


What a day, what a movie… Guess that calls for a celebration with a glass of cold milk.




The only one of my DNP's that I thought had a chance was A History of Violence. The rest I figured were hopeless.

My DNP's:

3. Black Hawk Down (2001)


6. A History of Violence (2005)


9. Valhalla Rising (2009)


16. The Triplets of Belleville (2003)


17. The Hangover (2009)


19. Frailty (2001)


20. United 93 (2006)


My Top 25

 


Great job hosting, Thief!



Both made my list.

I can nitpick the other two LOTR but can’t find anything wrong with Fellowship. And on a personal note I prefer the small band of heroes on a journey in Fellowship to the bigger cast, larger scope, epic battles of the other two.

You could pick almost any Coen Bros. movie and make a case for why it’s their best, which just goes to show you how strong their filmography is. But for me it’s a tossup between No Country and Big Lebowski.

Great job @Thief. Thanks to you and Yoda and everyone else involved! This was a delight to catch up on every day.



Damn it, my number one was one off. Eh, I voted for both of them, anyway...

Sent-In Ballot

1. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2)
2. Oldboy (22)
3. Sin City (47)
4. Spirited Away (5)
5. Requiem for a Dream (26)
6. Memento (11)
7. Yi Yi (49)
8. The Departed (19)
9. The Dark Knight (10)
10. Casino Royale (37)
11. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (6)
12. Saw (2004)
13. Million Dollar Baby (2004)
14. No Country for Old Men (2007)
15. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
16. Let the Right One In (2008)
17. Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002)
18. Mulholland Drive (2001)
19. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
20. Iron Man (2008)
21. Inglourious Basterds (2009)
22. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
23. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
24. X2: X-Men United (2003)
25. Hot Fuzz (2007)

Post-Ballot

#1. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2)
#2. Oldboy (22)
#3. Sin City (47)
#4. Spirited Away (5)
#5. Requiem for a Dream (26)
#6. Memento (11)
#7. Yi Yi (49)
#8. The Departed (19)
#9. The Dark Knight (10)
#10. Casino Royale (37)
#11. Eternal Sunshine (6)
#12. Snatch (71)
#13. Saw (Not Placed)
#14. Million Dollar Baby (57)
#15. No Country for Old Men (1)
#16. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (53)
#17. Let the Right One In (29)
#18. Slumdog Millionaire (Not Placed)
#19. Monsters, Inc. (74)
#20. Mulholland Drive (4)
#21. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (8)
#22. Iron Man (83)
#23. Fantastic Mr. Fox (70)
#24. Inglourious Basterds (18)
#25. Pirates of the Caribbean (63)

Seen 62/100



MoFo - 2000 - final ballot

1. Watchmen (2009)
2. Zodiac (2007)
3. Casino Royale (2006)
4. The Prestige (2006)
5. Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (2000)
6. Memento (2000)
7. The New World (2005)
8. Where the Wild Things Are (2009)
9. LotR: The Return of the King (2003)
10. A Serious Man (2009)
11. Before Sunset (2004)
12. Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (2001)
13. Batman Begins (2005)
14. No Country for Old Men (2007)
15. The Devil’s Backbone (2001)
16. Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)
17. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
18. A Scanner Darkly (2006)
19. The Darjeeling Limited (2007)
20. Eastern Promises (2007)
21. The Majestic (2001)
22. Surrogates (2009)
23. The Mist (2007)
24. Up (2009)
25. Crank: High Voltage (2009)



MoFo - 2000 - final ballot

1. Watchmen (2009)
2. Zodiac (2007)
3. Casino Royale (2006)
4. The Prestige (2006)
5. Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker (2000)
6. Memento (2000)
7. The New World (2005)
8. Where the Wild Things Are (2009)
9. LotR: The Return of the King (2003)
10. A Serious Man (2009)
11. Before Sunset (2004)
12. Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (2001)
13. Batman Begins (2005)
14. No Country for Old Men (2007)
15. The Devil’s Backbone (2001)
16. Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)
17. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
18. A Scanner Darkly (2006)
19. The Darjeeling Limited (2007)
20. Eastern Promises (2007)
21. The Majestic (2001)
22. Surrogates (2009)
23. The Mist (2007)
24. Up (2009)
25. Crank: High Voltage (2009)

That's actually a very interesting read.



When Return of the King made the Countdown a few days ago, I didn't state exactly where it was on my list, because with The Two Towers taking up my #2 slot, revealing that RotK was my #3 would've been a dead giveaway that Fellowship was at the very top of my list.

Yes, I gave the Lord of the Rings trilogy 72 points, and I think it deserves every single one of them.

The Fellowship of the Ring was the first film I ever watched twice during its initial theatrical run. I had never read a single thing that Tolkien had written, but to see this world and its characters so beautifully realized left a huge impression on me. I loved absolutely everything about the film at the time, and over the years, the more I learned about how it was made, the more impressed I became.

20 years later I still haven't read the books, but I do have a tattoo of the Tree of Gondor on my forearm.

Seen: 65/100

My List:
01. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) - #2
02. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) - #15
03. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) - #8
04. Tokyo Godfathers (2003) - DNP
05. The Lives of Others (2006) - #41
06. Millennium Actress (2001) - DNP
07. Goodbye Lenin! (2003) - DNP
08. Mother (2009) - #96
09. Shaun of the Dead (2004) - #20
10. Iron Man (2008) - #83
11. Paprika (2006) - #64
12. Memories of Murder (2003) - #27
13. Ju-on: The Grudge (2002) - DNP
14. Saw (2004) - DNP
15. A Tale of Two Sisters (2003) - DNP

16. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) - #76
17. Hot Fuzz (2007) - #30
18. District B13 (2004) - DNP
19. Tropic Thunder (2008) - DNP
20. Moon (2009) - #48
21. Merantau (2009) - DNP
22. Infernal Affairs (2002) - DNP
23. Equilibrium (2002) - DNP
24. Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (2001) - DNP
25. Bon Cop, Bad Cop (2006) - 1-pointer

Still Salty About Forgetting: The Descent (2005)

Of the films on my list that didn't make the cut (that I haven't touched on already), there are a couple of horror films clumped right together in the middle of my ballot, with one comedy following not far behind, and the film The Departed was based on towards the end.



13. Ju-on: The Grudge (2002)

Do I keep getting Ju-on and Ju-on 2 mixed up? Yes. Am I entirely sure which film the gif I've chosen came from? No. Did that stop me from voting for the film that introduced me to j-horror anyway? Clearly not.



14.
Saw (2004)

While I don't like any of Saw's sequels, the original was an experience that was quite unforgettable. I haven't revisited the film in a long time, but I'll never forget the sounds of shock and awe at the twist ending from the packed small town theatre I saw it in.



15. A Tale of Two Sisters (2003)

Of the film I voted for that didn't make the Countdown, this is actually the one I'm most surprised about. For years before I saw this film, I had heard nothing but praise for it. However more recently it doesn't seem to get talked about as much. Psychological horror has always been a favourite of mine, so I had to include this.



19. Tropic Thunder (2008)

This is a film that got funnier each time I watched it. Friends and I still quote lines from it all the time. It's a fun parody and a solid action film on its own. The fake trailers at the start set the perfect mood for the events that follow. Just thinking about it makes me want to watch it again.



22.
Infernal Affairs (2002)

I recently rewatched a few of Tony Leung's films, with Infernal Affairs being one of them. It took a long time to track down because I was somehow convinced the title was Internal Affairs. I nearly gave up, but luckily a last minute google search saved the day. I haven't seen any of the sequels though. I may or may not have already said something about this when The Departed made the Countdown earlier, so I'll stop here.


If anyone has made it this far into my post, thanks for sticking around even though I didn't have much to say. But more importantly: thank you Thief for running this Countdown! You did a fantastic job, and all the little bits of trivia you posted between reveals was great.



Second the quotes from a critic/mofo comment. Even on days I couldn’t read anything, I still checked out those. Despite me having to wince at some of my old reviews all over again.
It was interesting to read old reviews from some of you that didn't quite match to how I read you thought about X or Y film now. It's evidence of how our views on films (and books, music, art, etc.) can change and evolve with time, and things that we appreciated then are just forgotten now, or things that we didn't care then end up having deeper meanings now.
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It was interesting to read old reviews from some of you that didn't quite match to how I read you thought about X or Y film now. It's evidence of how our views on films (and books, music, art, etc.) can change and evolve with time, and things that we appreciated then are just forgotten now, or things that we didn't care then end up having deeper meanings now.
For sure, but also, my writing is jibberish. So even when I stand behind the sentiment I still wince.



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)
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2. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (616 points) - Yeah just don't get it.
1. No Country for Old Men (651 points) - Good film, very good film. Not in my 25 but not unhappy this was the #1 as it's so well made.

I don't think any of the top 10 were in my ballot. Which is suprising, or maybe not, I dunno.

My ballot from 1 to 25:

In the Mood for Love

The Lives of Others

The White Ribbon

Failan

Werckmeister Harmonies

Adaptation.

Dancer in the Dark

Enter the Void

The Secret in Their Eyes

Nobody Knows

The Man Who Wasn't There

Amores Perros

Oldboy

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring

Y Tu Mamá También

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

Oasis

Russian Ark

Lilya 4-ever

The Return

Memories of Murder

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Talk to Her

Precious

Wendy and Lucy



The trick is not minding
Great job, Thief. As others have you said, you were able to provide a fresh way of keeping this countdown interesting. Take a bow.


My ballot:

1. Brokeback Mountain (2005)
2. The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
3. WALL·E (2008)
4. Polytechnique (2009)
5. Lost in Translation (2003)
6. The Dark Knight (2008)
7. Quills (2000)
8. Finding Nemo (2003)
9. Mulholland Drive (2001)
10. An Inconvenient Truth (2006)
11. You Can Count on Me (2000)
12. The Contender (2000)
13. Syriana (2005)
14. Good Night, and Good Luck. (2005)
15. Oldboy (2003)
16. Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring (2003)
17. Batman Begins (2005)
18. Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
19. Once (2007)
20. Snatch (2000)
21. Grizzly Man (2005)
22. The Incredibles (2004)
23. Y tu mamá también (2001)
24. Malena (2000)
25. Lust, Caution (2007)

I’m disappointed at the lack of documentaries, as I had two (Grizzly Man and An Inconvenient Truth), but I could have easily included Murderball, as well. *

Polytechnique is probably the one film I felt shouldn’t have missed the countdown. Perhaps that’s because so few have watched it? *

Good Night and Good luck, The Contender and You Can Count on Me are also disappointing in their failure to make the list. **

Overall, it’s a good list. *