Top 10 Films of the Decade

I love acting, screenwriting, editing, anything film. Plain and simple. To close out the decade, I've committed to making a top ten list of those films that stood out in my mind as classics--the best of the best. There may be better films as defined by the critics, but these are the ones that did it for me.

Would it be cheating if I woke up tomorrow desperately needing to make changes?

I would love to see your top ten; so, get them posted and let's chat about the magic of the screen; let's discuss the power of the medium; hell, let's make a movie of our own. Call me.

1. Pan's Labyrinth (2006)
2. Garden State (2004)
3. Wonder Boys (2000)
4. 500 Days of Summer (2009)
5. Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)
6. Into the Wild (2007)

7. Avatar (2009)
8. Kill Bill Vol. 2 (2004)
9. There Will Be Blood (2007)
10. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)

The films that made the above task nearly impossible:

Inglorious Bastards (2009)

V for Vendetta (2005)
Tropic Thunder (2008)
Revolutionary Road (2008)
The Pianist (2002)
You Can Count on Me (2000)
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)
25th Hour (2002)
Gladiator (2000)
Lost in Translation (2003)
Memento (2000)
Purple Violets (2007)
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

Two Best Songs, in Film, of the Decade:
"Blowers Daughter" - Damian Rice - Closer
"Falling Slowly" from Once -- Music and Lyric by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova

A top ten actors-of-the-decade may follow.

(Facebook Link)

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Blake N. Cooper (ThinkingTen; Twitter; Facebook)

(VIDEO) MakingOf: Director Terry Gilliam Talks About The Miracles of Filmmaking

Heath Ledger's last film was almost lost to The Vault:



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Blake N. Cooper (ThinkingTen; Twitter; Facebook)

"Visual Effects: 100 Years of Inspiration"

Just think what the next 100 years will bring...



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Blake N. Cooper (Blog; RSS Feed; Twitter; Facebook)

The Baseball Card Movie

Brings me back...

(Direct Link)

Good find bro.

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Blake N. Cooper (Blog; RSS Feed; Twitter; Facebook)

Taxi to the Dark Side

Habeas corpus, Bagram, Waterboarding--just finished "Taxi to the Dark Side"--every American should watch this film:



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Blake N. Cooper (Blog; RSS Feed; Twitter; Facebook)

"Sanford Meisner - Theater's Best Kept Secret"

Evening homework:

Sanford Meisner - Theater's Best Kept Secret (Part 1 of 7)



Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7

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Blake N. Cooper (Blog; RSS Feed; Twitter; Facebook)

Slumdog Millionaire

A masterful accomplishment for director Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire is a shoe-in as one of the top films of 2008. The story has true strength; the visual depictions of India are brilliant; the actors--kids included--give performances that define careers. Surprisingly, Slumdog will be filed in my film vault as one of the great love stories of 2008:







Slumdog Millionaire Video Playlist

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A frothy Guinness to you for stopping by and another for coming back,
Stagekid

Crawford

Just finished watching Crawford, a new documentary about George W. Bush's Crawford, Texas. Certainly a unique lens by which to view the last eight years:



Also see a Crawford review at The International Herald Tribune

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A frothy Guinness to you for stopping by and another for coming back,
Stagekid

Film Trailer Vault: The Lucky Ones

Three solid actors--should be a recipe for some good chemistry:




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Stagekid

Film Trailer Vault: Synecdoche, New York

When it comes down to it, we need to start being honest with ourselves; we need to start asking one simple question: is there a better actor working today than Philip Seymour Hoffman? As of today, I am officially announcing my two favorite actors: Robert Downey Jr. and PSH. Hoffman is a brilliant actor; it is a privilege to watch him work to master his craft.

Synecdoche, New York may be a bit out there for most people's taste, but there is little debate about the genius of Charlie Kaufman (Being John Malkovich, Adaptation and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind):



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Stagekid

Film Trailer Vault: The Soloist Trailer

Oscar watch: Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Fox will both win. (If you're a video-quality snob like me, head over to Firstshowing)




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Stagekid

Film Trailer Vault: Michael Moore's Slacker Uprising

Slacker Uprising will be available for free on September 23, 2008 (sign up). There is a lot that bothers me about Michael Moore, but his perspectives will always be welcome in this house:



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A frothy Guinness to you for stopping by and another for coming back,
Stagekid

Film Review Vault: In the Shadow of the Moon

Film: In the Shadow of the Moon

Tagline: Remember when the whole world looked up.

Rotten Tomatoes: 94%
IMDB
Wikipedia

Coop's Take:
For those interested in the human side of history, you'll love this documentary. There are two things that have stuck since watching: (1) I wish Neil Armstrong could have contributed to the narrative of the film; (2) what's happened to the great American ambition? We need to get back to that place where the world, once again, looks up to the values that our country represents: strength, bold hope, relentless courage.

Favorite Acting Scene:
All things Michael Collins! Great narrative, by an easily-overlooked American hero.

Coop's Movie Rating: 9
Coop's Trailer Rating: 9 1/2

Trailer:




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Stagekid

Debate: Two Acting Styles

Source: Cinematical
Post: 400 Screens, 400 Blows: Up with Downey by Jeffery M. Anderson

Anderson presents an interesting debate about acting styles: Brando's "method" vs. the "always plays himself" school. Bringing Downey Jr. (especially his performance in Two Girls and a Guy) into the discussion certainly brings credibility to the argument.

I've added Anderson to my list of tracked Tomatoe critics.

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Stagekid

Film Review Vault: Lars and the Real Girl

Film: Lars and the Real Girl

Tagline: The search for true love begins outside the box...

Rotten Tomatoes: 81%
IMDB
Wikipedia

Coop's Take:
Lars is a very well-casted film with Gosling, again, showing his gifted range. Some may be turned off by the unrealistic premise, but with a little suspension of dramatic disbelief and a focus on the acting (Mortimer and Schneider are great together), the film is worth the time.

Ryan Gosling continues to make great career choices. Using The Notebook's pop success to leverage his acting career, his last three films have certainly stretched his obvious talent: Half Nelson, Fracture, and Lars (there are few actors who can hold their own against the incomparable Anthony Hopkins, let alone upstage him on screen).

Favorite Acting Scene:
Gosling, in the woods, singing to his "girlfriend."

Trivia:

• shot in 31 days
• In the scene where Lars is reading to Bianca, he is reading from Don Quixote (an ode to delusions)
  

Coop's Movie Rating: 7
Coop's Trailer Rating: 5

Trailer:

At the Movies Review


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Stagekid

Before Sunrise and Before Sunset

Source: Cinematical
Post: "When Romance is Done Right"

I've been a huge fan of Linklater's Before Sunrise since its release; its sojourned follow-up Before Sunset was a unexpected gift in the continuation of the simple storyline. Cinematical recently posted a nice article on the evolution of the the story (with commentary, trailers, extra video footage: yes, they stole my film vault blog structure):



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Stagekid

Film Review Vault: Iron Man

Film: Iron Man

Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 93%
Wikipedia
IMDB

Coop's Take:

The most recent Superman movie represented everything wrong with modern-day hero movie hype: no chemistry, too much noise, poor script. From the opening scene of Iron Man, it was obvious this film would take a different direction in the genre: brilliant writing, brilliant acting, brilliant direction. One of the best comic/superhero movies I've seen since the original Superman films--Robert Downey Jr. is as good as they come: by far my favorite actor today (see Saints); the film was brilliantly cast (Howard, Bridges, Paltrow); a great achievement for director John Favreau.

Favorite Acting Scene:
RDJ building the suit while acting with the inadament.

Trivia:

• Rachel McAdams was Jon Favreau's first choice to play Pepper Potts, but she turned the role down.
• Nicolas Cage and Tom Cruise were interested in playing Iron Man. Cruise in particular was going to act in and produce the film.
• The script was not completely prepared when filming began, since the filmmakers were more focused on the story and the action, so the dialogue was mostly ad-libbed throughout filming; Jon Favreau acknowledged this made the film feel more natural. Some scenes were shot with two cameras to capture lines improvised on the spot; Robert Downey Jr. would ask for many takes of one scene since he wanted to try something new... (more trivia)
  

Coop's Movie Rating: 8
Coop's Trailer Rating: 6 1/2

Trailer:




Wired Review: Iron Man a New High for RDJ
Robert Ebert's Review

Unscripted:




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A frothy Guinness to you for stopping by and another for coming back,
Stagekid

Film Review Vault: There Will Be Blood

Film: There Will Be Blood

Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 92%
Award: Won 2 Oscars (Best Actor, Best Cinematography)
Wikipedia
IMDB

Coop's Take: There are few actors working today that truly capture the screen; Daniel Day Lewis is certainly one of those special talents. In a time where most movies aim for big action and fluff, every so often a film comes along that heightens the art to a level worthy of its history and its potential as a medium for story-telling, for expression. There Will Be Blood is a great achievement by Paul Thomas Anderson & Co. It's definitely on my top 3 for 2007 (and ahead of No Country for Old Men).

2007 was a good year for film: No Country for Old Men, There Will Be Blood, Once, Sweeney Todd, Into the Wild, Juno, King of Kong and a handful of others (Breach, American Gangster, Sicko). I'll have to look back to see if I already completed my Top 10 for 2007 (I usually wait to see movies on video--unless we're talking about a film like Iron Man; I think my next post will be to start building my Top 10 list for 2008)

Favorite Acting Scene: The bowling alley scene where DD Lewis puts on an absolute clinic in acting.

Trivia:

• While on location in Marfa, Texas, No Country for Old Men was the neighboring film production. One day, director Paul Thomas Anderson and his crew tested the pyrotechnical effects of the oil derrick fire, causing an enormous billowing of smoke, intruding the shot that Joel Coen and Ethan Coen were shooting. This caused them to put off filming until the next day when the smoke dissipated from view. Both this film and No Country for Old Men would eventually become the leading contenders at the Academy Awards a year and a half later.
• Anderson told Entertainment Weekly magazine that the fake oil used throughout the movie included "the stuff they put in chocolate milkshakes at McDonald's."... (more trivia)
  

Coop's Movie Rating: 9
Coop's Trailer Rating: 8

Robert Ebert's Review

Trailer

(HD version)

Charlie Rose (a look at Blood and No Country)

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Stagekid

Film Review Vault: Schindler's List

Film: Schindler's List
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 96%

Award: Won 7 Oscars including Best Picture
Wikipedia
IMDB

Coop's Take: A legacy-changing film, from one of the great directors of all time--Schindler's List is a true masterpiece. Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley, and Ralph Fiennes give performances unmatched by but a few. Everything I have always believed about film--in terms of potential for story-telling; distribution of a message; the power to invoke anger or confusion or elation--pours out in Schindler's List.

Favorite Acting Scene: Amon Goeth in the wine cellar, where he's battling with his feelings for Helen Hirsch. Ralph Fiennes is first-class in everything I've seen him in (especially The English Patient and The End of the Affair).

Trivia:

• To prepare for the role, Ralph Fiennes put on almost 30 pounds drinking Guinness;
• Harrison Ford was offered the title role but declined, saying that some people would not be able to look past him as a star to see the importance of the film... (more trivia)
  

Coop's Movie Rating: 10
Coop's Trailer Rating: 9

Trailer


Siskel & Ebert Review


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A frothy Guinness to you for stopping by and another for coming back,
Stagekid

Film Trailer Vault: The Wackness

The Wackness: HD Trailer

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A frothy Guinness to you for stopping by and another for coming back,
Stagekid