Masterpieces of the new millenium

hmm. I see where Mark is coming from. I like to see a few years go by before I'd say anything was a masterpiece post 2000 in the way that masterpiece is used to mean a film of lasting critical acclaim. I've gone back to too many films after 10, 20, 30 years or so to find they're not that great after all!

Also what is 'lasting critical acclaim'? is that acclaim by critics and film buffs? or can you count it as a masterpiece if its popularity is long and established amongst casual film watchers? I bet if I went down the pub tonight and asked a few people what they'd count as a masterpiece of film I wouldn't get Citizen Kane as an answer, probably more like Rambo or Shawshank Redemption. (don't say that reflects on the quality of my local )

Think selecting masterpieces, while subjective also kinda needs to be done retrospectively, i'm trying to think of masterpieces as the films that will be remembered in the next decade.

Requiem for a Dream (Aronofsky, 2000)
In the Mood for Love (Kar-Wai, 2000)
Mulholland Drive (Lynch, 2001)
Spider (Cronenberg, 2002)
The Pianist (Polanski, 2002)
Elephant (Van Sant, 2003)
Dogville (von Trier, 2003)
Anchorman (yes, really) (McKay, 2004)
Mysterious Skin (Araki, 2004)
Downfall (Hirschbiegel, 2004)
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Gondry, 2004)
United 93 (Greengrass, 2006)
INLAND EMPIRE (Lynch, 2006)
Borat (Charles, 2006)
The Fountain (Aronofsky, 2006)
Lives of Others (von Donnersmarck, 2006)


(despite not yet getting round to plonking the last two in my player). Think City of God and LotR have set a benchmark for foriegn / Hollywood films respectively for some time to come.

I really hope Kill Bill won't be looked back at as a masterpiece. Hopefully a time will come when the majority see it for the hack job it is. Have issues with The Departed, much as i like it, the whole remake issue bugs me on it.

__________________

Well, I'm gonna have to say that Kill Bill volumes 1 & 2 are masterpieces just because it was all very exciting, stimulating and left a mark.

Other movies I'm thinking about.... The Darjeeling Limited, Ghost World, Transamerica, Breakfast on Pluto, Little Miss Sunshine, Sideways, Marie Antoinette, Shawn of the Dead, Adaptation...

I agree with Pyro Tramp about Anchorman and Mysterious Skin.

Of course it is difficult to judge which new films will become seen as masterpieces...there is such a thing as an instant classic, but even some of the acclaimed films we love now might not seem like such classics in 5 or 10 years time.

It is much harder to choose, especially as we haven't had the same amount of time to re-watch and reflect on these films. For example, when they were released and up for the best picture oscar, I preferred Crash to Brokeback Mountain, but I have since changed my mind (as you will be able to see from my listing Brokeback and not Crash on my list). Instant acclaim isn't necessarily the same as lasting influence.

But that's what makes this thread fun. Everyone knows what films are generally considered the masterpieces of, say, the 70s or 90s. It is just interesting to speculate on what the modern masterpieces are/ will be. And to see different viewpoints on it.

It's not really that difficult a subject. I just make a lot fewer lists than many other people. I can appreciate that "newer" films may have more technical panache and that some performances today might seem "more realistic" than those of the past. I don't dislike newer films, although I'd love for a return to the witty script; it's just that this is the fourth decade I've been seriously watching films from a critical perspective. Add in all the movies I've watched and studied from before I was movie aware, and I have a good grasp of what's good in any decade, although grouping films by decade doesn't really break them down properly into their respective "eras".

I'll ask you this though, adidasss, do you think you will find your list of favorite films changing much over the next several years with the additions of mostly newer films? You talked about 30 years from now; since you believe movies will continue to get better, that would imply your list will change to include these better films. If I were to look into the future, I would bet that your list wouldn't change that dramatically. From my experience, people's lists are full of movies they loved when they first started taking films seriously. Of course, it also just depends on how many movies they watch or what kinds they do watch. Is that off-topic enough?

If I ever think of any masterpieces which haven't been shared already, I'll be sure to add them though. I actually thought of one just now: The Incredibles.

__________________
It's what you learn after you know it all that counts. - John Wooden
My IMDb page

ok I'll go with the flow and pick films that I think should be remembered in future, and I agree with quite a few already chosen.

Definate ones that'll continue to be acclaimed:
Amelie
The Lord of the Rings films - even though they're not what I'd choose to watch again meself
I agree on Donnie Darko too
In the Mood for Love - definately

However the ones that've really struck me down and made me think for ages after have been The Return (Vozvrashcheniye), Mysterious Skin and Hidden (Cache)

Hey Pyro - interesting that you included Spider. I really like that film and never see it get mentioned a lot

Heh, i've just been writing about it on my dissertation. Funny story, i've not really watched it, how's that for being objective!

Can't believe i forgot Haneke, not sure if i'd call Hidden a masterpiece per se, it's a brilliant film but it's not got anything to standout- Funny Games on the other hand.

How can you write about something you've not really watched?
Haven't seen Spider for a while, but the thing I loved about it was the period detail, the wallpaper, the rooms, clothes and the pub and the encrusted grime inder Ralph Fiennes fingernails. good, down to earth authentic stuff.

Yeah Funny Games too, but there's something going on in Hidden that's dead intriguing, and despite pages of discussion I had with someone once, I don't think we ever got to the bottom of it!

Well, the most interesting theory on Hidden i heard is Haneke is the one sending the tapes. There is a heck of a lot going on, but i think i preferred the more realised goal Funny Games, not that i don't like the ambiguity of Hidden just liked the purpose of Funny Games.

Yeah, i should probably watch it but it's not a focus, just quickly going over Cronenberg in my introduction, more or less whacking in a cite here and there about it and the focus on directing over concept, also the fact it's his first feature where he's not exerted any influence on the script.

You have a good grasp of what's good to you. I hope you realize that no matter how long you've been watching films, your preferences are still your own, not some objective criteria gained with age. There's no such thing, which is why we should go by the general critical consensus and for the purpose of this thread, a dash of subjectivity.
Dear God I hope so, it would be terribly depressing to think I've seen everything that's worth seeing in film and that nothing will ever surpass it. You're wrong. And you're giving too much credit to a list I made a while ago without giving it some serious thought. I don't really have a top 10 list. I listed films that were on the top of my head and have made a strong impact on me. I could list another 50 films that have made a similar impact.

Now be a doll and give us your favorites...

P.s. The incredibles really are incredible...but Finding Nemo is even better IMHO. And I do believe we've forgotten Shrek.

__________________
http://www.last.fm/user/diezelpower/

One thing I will never do is call a film a Masterpiece based on "critical consensus". I won't do it for anything which is "historically-significant" either.

Ok, so what exactly qualifies as a masterpiece for you?

I'll stick with basic dictionary definitions:
(1) the most outstanding work of a creative artist or craftsman
(2) an outstanding achievement

Take that and combine it with my post above. I have called some movies masterpieces, but I just don't rate that many films **** or higher. I believe that I only give about 10 films *****. True, there are many more than "10 cinematic masterpieces", and they don't have to all be mine, but if I don't feel it to be true, I won't put it on any list I make. If you want me to write a critical essay, comparing/contrasting "masterpieces" of different eras, that would be something interesting. At least, if a certain era had enough masterpieces to discuss (and yes, I already know that means "according to me"; everything is according to somebody. )

I can consider an individual's best work a "masterpiece", depending on who it is or when it came out, but I hesitate to use that word unless someone is really familiar with the artist.

As opposed to the rest of us?

This thread is about personal choices, but it helps if there's some critical backing behind it, otherwise it just turns into a "favorite films" thread...:\

What sources do people hear use as evidence of "critical backing"?

Google.

I use Netflix and igod.

You can also ask igod about capitals it is good at that.

__________________

“The gladdest moment in human life, methinks, is a departure into unknown lands.” – Sir Richard Burton