The MoFo Top 100 of the 2000s Countdown

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2022 Mofo Fantasy Football Champ
Here's my full list:

1. Man on Fire (2004)
2. Mystic River (2003)
3. Million Dollar Baby (2004)
4. Gladiator (2000)
5. Spirited Away (2001)
6. Wedding Crashers (2005)
7. Gone Baby Gone (2007)
8. Iron Man (2008)
9. Casino Royale (2006)
10. Finding Nemo (2003)
11. Gran Torino (2008)
12. Crash (2004)
13. Lost in Translation (2003)
14. Inside Man (2006)
15. The Prestige (2006)
16. Up (2009)
17. The Hangover (2009)
18. WALL·E (2008)
19. State of Play (2009)
20. Spider-Man 2 (2004)
21. The Dark Knight (2008)
22. Ghost World (2001)
23. A Beautiful Mind (2001)
24. Sideways (2004)
25. About Elly (2009)

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.



Nice! I love Fellowship but am really glad No Country won. It was my #2. It gets better every single time. Perfectly crafted. Best cat and mouse in movie history. Best villain in movie history. It’s funny. Suspense and horror. I don’t know, it’s one of those once I n a lifetime flicks.

I put my list together too fast and blanked on n Fellowship, it didn’t need my help anyway. Finally rewatched the trilogy early last year, and it’s an astounding feat to go along with being totally engrossing.

Excited to listen to the podcast. I will post my full list later because know at least 5 mofos will give it a thumbs up without actually reading it.

Great job Thief
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Critics




Critics thoughts on our #1, No Country for Old Men...



It currently has a 93% Certified Fresh Tomatometer score among critics, and a 8.1/10 score on IMDb (with 924,000 votes).

Roger Ebert gave it ★★★★ and said:
"This movie is a masterful evocation of time, place, character, moral choices, immoral certainties, human nature and fate. It is also, in the photography by Roger Deakins, the editing by the Coens and the music by Carter Burwell, startlingly beautiful, stark and lonely."
Meanwhile Liz Hoggard, of London Evening Standard, said:
"The lack of respect for the body, the sheer bloody aftermath depresses me. Yes, they may handle the killing with verve and ironic tension, but this is a Coen brothers film too far."
As for our MoFo reviewers, @Holden Pike said:
"This is the most mature work yet from Ethan and Joel Coen. Their sensibility is all over it especially their visual composition and ability to stage the fantastic down to the smallest details, but it stays so close to the Cormac McCarthy source material that the tone is slightly heavier and, in a way, intentionally more realistic."
And @Swedish Chef said:
"I've found it simply doesn't hold up to multiple viewings like a Coen flick should. Technically speaking, it's a perfect film. Those early desert scenes really are breathtaking. And kick-ass performances all around... I've mentioned somewhere else on the site how much I thought of Jones when first reading the book and he doesn't disappoint here in the least. He's the balls. But, unfortunately, No Country for Old Men isn't the balls. It's okay, though."
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Maybe more details later, but here's my ballot and the number of seen films.

Seen: 55/100

1. Let the Right One In (2008) [#29]
2. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) [#2]
3. Pulse (2001)
4. Ginger Snaps (2000)
5. Watchmen (2009) [#87]
6. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) [#15]
7. Rambo (2008)
8. The Descent (2005) [#80]
9. Suicide Club (2001)
10. Dog Soldiers (2002)
11. Ginger Snaps 2: Unleashed (2004)
12. There Will Be Blood (2007) [#3]
13. The Children (2008)
14. The Proposition (2005)
15. A Tale of Two Sisters (2003)
16. Tideland (2005)
17. Dark Water (2002)
18. Battle Royale (2000) [#77]
19. Chocolate (2008)
20. Pan's Labyrinth (2006)
21. Antichrist (2009)
22. Noroi (2005)
23. [REC] (2007)
24. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2009)
25. Harry Brown (2009) [1-pointer]
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Bright light. Bright light. Uh oh.
Wonderful job, Thief! Thanks to everyone who participated too.

No Country For Old Men, my #23, is a terrific film, but the Coens just love to throw curves towards the end at the audience. They did it in Barton Fink and The Man Who Wasn't There, and I believe they do it here too. This flick grabs you from the beginning and is so unusual and suspenseful that it slowly wraps its fingers around your throat and tightens. The scene where the dog chases Llewelyn in the river almost had me giddy; I couldn't believe I was watching something that I should have seen long ago. The shootout in the deserted smalltown streets between Llewelyn and Anton was even better. I never once cared that nobody reared their head. There are several other classic suspense scenes in the film, especially involving cheap motels and a botched drug transaction. Tommy Lee Jones' Sheriff is a terrific character, but somehow, the three strong characters seem to be hung out to dry during the last 20 minutes.

NOTE - This was all resolved by me almost immediately, but I include it here anyway.

These unanswered questions are what I find lessens the impact of the film. My fave character is Llewelyn. We never see what happens to him. We can imply it, but I don't think it's fair that such a cool character "just disappears". What happened to the money? Where did Anton's character go when the Sheriff was outside the motel crime scene? We saw him. We saw the opened vent, but that was too small for him to get away through. Is Anton actually a "part-time ghost" as the Sheriff hypothesizes? Who is the family member in the wheelchair that the Sheriff talks to? (Again, I can imply who it is, and if you read the story, maybe you know, but that's not fair. Movies aren't novels and they often change things.) Does Anton kill Llewelyn's wife? The Carson Wells character implies that Anton lives by a code (even if it's a psychotic's code). Did Anton spare the wife and violate his own code, thus causing the "accident" at the end of the film? Was that crackup at the end even an "accident"? What happens to Anton? How do the Sheriff's two dreams tie the entire story together?

I loved the intro of the trilogy, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, my #4. Ian McKellen probably gives his greatest performance, and the sets, locations, cast and F/X are set up for the entire trilogy. Another film it's hard to add something new about. I guess I can say that I've been to New Zealand and seen many of the beautiful locations, mostly from afar.

My List

1. The Incredibles
2. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
3. King Kong
4. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
5. Ratatouille
6. The Heart of the World
7. Downfall
8. Up
9. The Dark Knight
10. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
11. Everything Will Be OK
12. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
13. Talk to Her
14. Tell No One
15. WALL·E
16. Children of Men
17. Pan's Labyrinth
18. Spirited Away
19. The Pianist
20. A.I. Artificial Intelligence
21. Pride & Prejudice
22. Hotel Rwanda
23. No Country For Old Men
24. There Will be Blood
25. City of Life and Death
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The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring was #1 on the MoFo Top 100 of the Millennium List. It was also #11 on the MoFo Top 100 Redux. Joel & Ethan Coen’s Best Picture Oscar winner No Country for Old Men was #9 on the MoFo Top 100 of the Millennium List and #51 on the MoFo Top 100 Refresh.

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The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring is the only one of the trilogy that I voted for, the others might have the epic battles but I really like the way this builds into the journey. I've only seen No Country For Old Men the once and quite liked it but it's not one I've ever felt drawn to revisiting.


Seen: 71/100 (Own: 49/100)
My ballot:
1. WALL·E (2008) [#13]
2. Zodiac (2007) [#9]
3. Madeo [Mother] (2009) [#96]
4. Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi [Spirited Away] (2001) [#5]
5. Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain [Amélie] (2001) [#16]
6. Moon (2009) [#48]
7. El laberinto del fauno [Pan's Labyrinth] (2006) [#7]
8. Der Untergang [Downfall] (2004) [#28]
9. Hable con ella [Talk To Her] (2002) - dnp
10. Fa yeung nin wah [In The Mood For Love] (2000) [#12]
11. Oldeuboi [Oldboy] (2003) [#22]
12. The Departed (2006) [#19]
13. Martyrs (2008) - dnp
14. The Loved Ones (2009) - dnp
15. Lĺt den rätte komma in [Let The Right One In] (2008) [#29]
16. The Descent (2005) [#80]
17. Mulholland Dr. (2001) [#4]
18, Oasiseu [Oasis] (2002) - dnp
19. Kiraware Matsuko no isshô [Memories Of Matsuko] (2006) - dnp
20. The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring (2001) [#2]
21. Dare mo shiranai [Nobody Knows] (2004) - dnp
22. Bin-jip [3-Iron] (2004) - dnp
23. Hak se wui: Yi woo wai kwai [Election 2] (2006) - dnp
24. Control (2007) - dnp
25. The Pool (2007) [1-ptr]

Faildictions (millennial edition v1.01):
26. Superbad (2007)
25. Memento (2000) [11]
24. Road To Perdition (2002)
23. The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers (2002) [15]
22. Shrek (2001)
21. Requiem For A Dream (2000) [26]
20. Oldboy (2003) [22]
19. Inglourious Basterds (2009) [18]
18. Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind (2004) [6]
17. City Of God (2002) [25]
16. In The Mood For Love (2000) [12]
15. O Brother Where Art Thou? (2000) [21]
14. Children Of Men (2006) [17]
13. Amélie (2001) [16]
12. Zodiac (2007) [9]
11. WALL·E (2008) [13]
10. The Departed (2006) [19]
9. The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring (2001) [2]
8. Shaun Of The Dead (2004) [20]
7. Mulholland Drive (2001) [4]
6. Pan's Labyrinth (2006) [7]
5. There Will Be Blood (2007) [3]
4. The Dark Knight (2008) [10]
3. Spirited Away (2001) [5]
2. The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King (2003) [8]
1. No Country For Old Men (2007) [1]

Nnnnooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!
Ah well, nearly made it



Let me open my trenchcoat and reveal my list...


1. Mulholland Drive (2001)
2. Hot Fuzz (2007)
3. The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans (2009)
4. Femme Fatale (2002)
5. 24 Hour Party People (2002)
6. Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India (2001)
7. Spirited Away (2001)
8. Casino Royale (2006)
9. Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
10. Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004)
11. The Departed (2006)
12. Memento (2000)
13. Michael Clayton (2007)
14. 28 Days Later... (2002)
15. Crank: High Voltage (2009)
16. Children of Men (2006)
17. Domino (2005)
18. Eastern Promises (2007)
19. Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006)
20. Munich (2005)
21. American Psycho (2000)
22. The Devil's Rejects (2005)
23. Election (2005)
24. Election 2 (2006)
25. [REC] (2007)



Awards




Now to the awards received by The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring...

  • Academy Award for Best Cinematography (Andrew Lesnie)
  • Academy Award for Best Makeup (Peter Owen and Richard Taylor)
  • Academy Award for Best Music (Howard Shore)
  • Academy Award for Best Visual Effects
  • BAFTA Award for Best Film
  • BAFTA Award for Best Special Visual Effects
  • BAFTA Award for Best Makeup/Hair (Owen, Taylor, and Peter Swords King)
  • BAFTA David Lean Award for Direction (Peter Jackson)
  • BAFTA Audience Award
  • SAG Award for Best Supporting Actor (Ian McKellen)
  • Saturn Award for Best Fantasy Film
  • Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor (McKellen)
  • Saturn Award for Best Director (Jackson)
  • Saturn Award for Best DVD Special Edition
  • AFI Award for Movie of the Year
  • AFI Award for Production Designer of the Year (Grant Major)
  • AFI Award for Digitl Effects Artist of the Year (Jim Rygiel)
  • Awards Circuit Community Award for Best Adapted Screenplay of the Decade
  • Chlotrudis Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (Jackson, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens)
  • Empire Award for Best Film
  • Empire Award for Best Actor (Elijah Wood)
  • Empire Award for Best Debut (Orlando Bloom)
  • Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack (Howard Shore)

Among many, many others.





Here's the films I voted for that didn't make the countdown:

#2 Noriko's Dinner Table (Sono)




#3 Innocence (Hadžihalilović)




#8 The Host (Joon-Ho)




#9 Little Otik (Svankmajer)




#11 Valhalla Rising (Refn)




#14 The Triplets of Belleville (Chomet)




#17 Grizzly Man (Herzog)





#21 The Fall (Singh)




#22 Blood Tea and Red String (Cegavske)

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Awards




Now to the awards received by No Country for Old Men...

  • Academy Award for Best Picture
  • Academy Award for Best Director (Joel and Ethan Coen)
  • Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor (Javier Bardem)
  • Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (Coens)
  • BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor (Bardem)
  • BAFTA Award for Best Cinematography (Roger Deakins)
  • SAG Award for Best Supporting Actor (Bardem)
  • SAG Award for Best Performance by an Ensemble Cast
  • Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor (Bardem)
  • AFI Award for Movie of the Year
  • Awards Circuit Community Award for Best Director (Coens)
  • Awards Circuit Community Award for Best Supporting Actor (Bardem)
  • Awards Circuit Community Award for Best Cast Ensemble
  • Awards Circuit Community Award for Best Picture
  • DGA Award for Best Directorial Achievemnet (Coens)
  • Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor (Bardem)
  • Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay (Coens)
  • National Board of Review Award for Best Film
  • National Board of Review Award for Best Screenplay (Coens)
  • National Board of Review Award for Best Ensemble
  • Satellite Award for Best Picture
  • Satellite Award for Best Director (Coens)
  • WGA Award for Best Screenplay (Coens)

Among many, many others.





Excellent hosting job @Thief - feel really sorry for whoever has to follow this one



Nicely done, Thief.
Agreed! I'd be totally okay with Thief running the rest of these countdowns from now on (hint, hint).

Here is my ballot. I bolded the ones that didn't make the cut.

1. Yi Yi (2000)
2. Spirited Away (2001)
3. The Best of Youth (2003)
4. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
5. No Country for Old Men (2007)
6. Zodiac (2007)
7. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)
8. Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006)
9. The Wrestler (2008)
10. Mulholland Drive (2001)
11. Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001)
12. Memento (2000)
13. Kingdom of Heaven (Director's Cut) (2005)
14. Millennium Actress (2001)
15. Far from Heaven (2002)
16. Caché (2005)
17. Memories of Murder (2003)
18. Adaptation. (2002)
19. The Devil's Backbone (2001)
20. Requiem for a Dream (2000)
21. Billy Elliot (2000)
22. Let the Right One In (2008)
23. 25th Hour (2002)
24. The Hurt Locker (2008)
25. Punch-Drunk Love (2002)



Welcome to the human race...
First off, well done to Thief and co. for running this show so well.

Second, I had Fellowship at #11 and No Country at #5. I decided I'd only put one film from the trilogy on my list and it's the easiest pick for having so many of the series' best parts in it without too much in the way of downtime (unless you're watching the extended edition, zing). Meanwhile, No Country is another one of those films that I saw at an impressionable age and which really pinned my ears back by being such a relentlessly visceral and existential thriller (but that's McCarthy and the Coens for you) - I saw it in close proximity to There Will Be Blood and also gave it five stars (not entirely sure I still would, but I'll have to revisit it to be sure) but I think out of all the 2000s films I saw during their initial theatrical releases (as opposed to the ones I saw later after their reputations had effectively been cemented), this was as strong a one-two punch as you could really ask for.

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A system of cells interlinked
No time to post my thoughts on the final two, but I wanted to extend a HUGE round of applause and a heartfelt THANK YOU to Thief for putting this all together. Fantastic work!
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No Fellowship for me this time, though it remains my favorite of the trilogy, by far. Not surprisingly I had the Coen Bros.' No Country for Old Men on my list. It was my twelfth choice. I was seventeen in 1987 when I saw Raising Arizona in the theater during its initial release. I had seen and liked Blood Simple on video but it was with their second feature that I fell head-over-cinematic-heels for Joel and Ethan's movies, and have essentially matured right along with their filmography. Their third film, Miller's Crossing, remains my all-time favorite. But not far behind it is No Country for Old Men. Cormac McCarthy's existential, nihilistic, deadly pursuit of a suitcase full of a drug lord's cash across Texas and into Mexico meshed perfectly with their sensibility and filmmaking prowess. As meticulous as Llewelyn Moss attempts to be in covering his tracks from the incessantly methodical and almost demonic Anton Chigurh, Joel and Ethan's penchant for detail and perfection brings it to life like a procedural from Hell, with the weary County Sheriff Ed Tom Bell left to bare witness to the carnage of evil incarnate.

Unlike Scorsese's win for The Departed the year before, Ethan & Joel won Best Picture and Best Directors for one of their very finest efforts. Which as a fan was ever so much more satisfying. And now they have reached the top of MoFo, too. At least for a day.

Nineteen of my choices made it. I believe having six misses is my largest gap so far in one of these exercises. Usually having six misses will cost you a lot more in a Vietnamese massage parlor.

HOLDEN’S BALLOT
1. The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (#86)
2. Dancer in the Dark (#49)
3. Revanche (DNP)
4. Waltz with Bashir (DNP)
5. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (#6)
6. Talk to Her (DNP)
7. Children of Men (#17)
8. Amélie (#16)
9. The Lives of Others (#41)
10. The Pianist (#31)
11. Wonder Boys (DNP)
12. No Country for Old Men (#1)
13. Zodiac (#9)
14. Synecdoche, New York (#46)
15. Moon (#48)
16. Fantastic Mr. Fox (#70)
17. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (#92)
18. A Serious Man (#66)
19. Adaptation. (#43)
20. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (#51)
21. Downfall (#28)
22. There Will Be Blood (#3)
23. Gangs of New York (DNP)
24. Memento (#11)
25. Letters from Iwo Jima (DNP)