Top 25 Films of 2000-2009, Part the Second

Welcome to part two, Contemporaries!

This time, with needed clips!

"Asshole. Pure and simple."

Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room

(2005) Alex Gibney

Let's face facts: I was an art student and am probably not the best person to consult when it comes to current events or "what's going on." But man, after I watched "Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room," I felt like we'd been missing the point of this past decade. Our biggest villains weren't really politicians, killers or eery Aryans like usual. The biggest bastards of the oughts were greedy and gross businessman, and "Enron" was the documentary that proved it. Director Gibney made the evils of Enron understandable enough for anyone to watch this movie. A huge selling point for people who just don't understand business, and need to how they've been screwed. Yet Gibney presents the fact in showing how Enron profited by way of the Bushes, forest fires, fudged numbers and so much more that's wrong with big corporations.

Killer Skilling: http://www.youtube.com

"Which one of these is not like the other?"

Billy Elliot

(2000) Stephen Daldry

A fairy tale about being yourself disguised as an English kitchen-sink drama, "Billy Elliot" was a strange kind of magic. Jamie Bell, in a now iconic first role is the titular, toe-tapping Billy, the younger son of an English mine on strike. What should be seemingly pat and cutesy stuff is a balancing act of gritty spectacle and the light touch of dance and music. Is it about coming out and being true? Is this comedy of gender roles? Or is "Billy Elliot" an advocate for the arts and their power to enrich and even save people? A little bit of all of that really. "Billy Elliot" is divine film. And all I know, is that "I ain't no fookin' poof."

Angry dancing: http://www.youtube.com

"F*ckin' Iguanas. How Do They Work?"

Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans

(2009) Werner Herzog

I've expressed my thoughts on how this commentary on institutional failure is both a supernatural tour-de-force and lead acting showcase. But here's my real argument as to why this deserves to be on more "best of" lists: This may well be the closest damn thing we'll have to a deserving cult classic from the last decade. From iguanas to dancing souls to Nic Cage on crack (on screen this time!) to Werner Herzog's willingness to go hog wild, "Bad Lieutenant" scores for its gonzo memorability. Just watch the clip below and not pull a "WTF"! Start randomly asking people about iguanas. I swear, it'll be worth it! "Bad Lieutenant" was sadly under-seen and deserves an audience, especially a cultish one. You know that general complaint about Nic Cage being a bad actor who makes bad decisions? Watch this film for some new insight on that.

Fucking iguanas. http://www.youtube.com

"They're both single, ladies."

Sideways

(2004) Alexander Payne

This might not have made the list, had I not recently re-viewed it on FX. To compare this film to fine wine is so appropriate, not only because of the plot-based metaphors (two buddies gulping it up in Napa Valley for a bachelor weekend), but because this film really has aged well. I get it much better now. "Sideways" is the ultimate thinking-man's buddy comedy. The film understands the nuances and seeming confusions that come with having best friends. You know the realtionships, where one party always has to explain and account for the other, yet the thought of two people not being friends confuses others. Miles and Jack perfectly embody being buds. Added bonus: "Sideways" also displays Payne's signature freaky and farcical humor. Can you say hilarious full-frontal nudity?

Would you like some Merlot? http://www.youtube.com

"Think Blake, just with records instead."

High Fidelity

(2000) Stephen Frears

Here's another case of a film that just gets better and better as I age. Between its recent addition to the "Frugal Theater," Mark making me piss my pants with a "Kathleen Turner Overdrive," and my just being able to appreciate this film's obsessions for pop culture and love-lives (they really do go hand-in-hand), I find that "High Fidelity" is a movie that really understands me. And hopefully, I've come to understand it too. "High Fidelity" is also probably the romantic comedy of this decade, with its self-aware wit, relatable concerns and affable characters.

We all know the funny scenes. Try this on for some self-reflexivity: http://www.youtube.com

Tune in tomorrow for films 15-11!

Top 25 Films of 2000-2009, Part the First

Welcome to the The Contemporary's Top 25 films of 2000-2009.

This list of the culmination of 8 months of postulating and pondering over what exactly were the best films of the last decade. A lot of critics were jamming there lists out last December or January? I say bollocks! I worked damn hard to see as many films as I could over the last decade. This Top 25 is a collection of favorites, yes. But hopefully more so, it acts as an honest to dog list of what I feel are the 25 best movies of the last decade. So, yes, this is both obejctive and subjective. But, before we begin, a few notes on what I'm thinkin' 'bout here.

Some concerns I've had over this list:

- Wasn't I only 14 in 2000? Yeah, but I was picky even then, as I hated "Gladiator."

- Where's the sci-fi? "Minority Report" and "District 9" came close, I swear.

- Where's the romance? Not here, really.

- Surprisingly, no director appeared more than once. So, Scorsese/Nolan/Soderbergh biases were kept in check. My apologies to those three though. They had a good decade.

- Yes, I tend to enjoy mainstream, melodramatic movies. I also have a penchant for domesticity and shouting. Thank you Cassavettes and Long Grove. I just like drama I suppose. But I swear, this isn't a total attempt at seeming like I dig hip, obscure movies. Or is it?

- If something really big and likable wasn't included ... sorry. Bitch about it in the comments. I'd love to hear why you thought "Return of the King" or "Eternal Sunshine" or (gulp) "Donnie Darko" were classics.

- Why the hell did this list take so long? Dunno. My opinion changes all the time. I love that I can change my feelings about movies. Recent revelations and a need to diversify this list did play a part. That, and my 14-year-old self is a little far away.

- Yeah, I pretty much watched all of these more often than once. Sometimes, much more than that.

UPDATE: We've added necessary clips!

Other than that, enjoy the list, folks!

"Insert appropriate goof here."

4 luni, 3 saptamâni si 2 zile (Four Months, Three Weeks, Two Days)

(2007) Christian Mungiu

This should have made my top ten in '07 (saw it after deadline). This documentarian look at a pair of friends seeking abortions in a Ceausescu-dominated Romania in the late 1980s is an accomplishment of the bleak. "Four Months" is about bittersweet successes amidst harsh times. But it's also about finding strength in a time of forced ineptitude. This was a stunning melodrama that will endure due to it's importance of content and earnestness of story.

Part One of the film: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGhfErhn9TU&feature=related

"MOST. FUN. TRAIN. STATION. EVER."

Slumdog Millionaire

(2008) Danny Boyle

Did anyone not get a buzz off this movie? Danny Boyle's Dickensian Bollywood bash about a young boy and his quest to find his true love was Indian electricity. It was tough picking between this and "Monsoon Wedding," a very similar film also possessing a stellar soundtrack. But, "Slumdog" was the work of audio/visualist Danny Boyle in top form. It pretty much deserved its eight Oscars. And if you don't like it?

"Poverty Porn" you say?

Well, then you're a jerk.

Am I making you nervous? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ak70AEHw1as&feature=channel

"Elephant Man: The Prequel!"

El Orfanato (The Orphanage)

(2007) Juan Antonio Bayona

"The Orphanage" is probably the finest horror film of the last decade. A masterful, assured and often scarifying Spanish film about a haunted orphanage, this was a gothic classic. This was like a masters class in horror, as it relied on good old-fashioned tension (be careful about hide-and-seek here), classic horror movie content (it had a psychic!) and emotionally satisfying narrative (the ending will break your heart). Don't like scary movies? That's alright. I can watch this with you! Or loan it to you...

Seriously, don't freak. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHCI4vYIW70&feature=related

"Fly in the ice cube. Real Funny."

Lost in Translation

(2003) Sofia Coppola

Cynically speaking, yes, this is hipster naval-gazing made possible by the daughter of Francis Ford Coppola. But holy shit, this is far grander than most annoying indie films! Stylistically assured with a beautiful eye for Japan, and two soulful leads, "Lost in Translation" was arguably the prettiest film of the oughts. That, and Bill Murray's quite the revelation, using his trademark drollness and reaching out to his audience in a way we've never seen.

For relaxing times: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiRy1VqPFqI&feature=related

"You got something, on your, uh... forget it."

A History of Violence

(2005) David Cronenberg

You gotta love Cronenberg's history of body-horror and grotesquely memorable concept movies. But in 2005, he began a great, late stage in his career: graphic dramatist. "History of Violence" is a thrilling, non-pretentious look at the psychology of repression through the actions of a "simple" midwestern man when presented with trouble. How the hell did Tom Stall (Viggo Mortensen) disarm those thugs at his resteraunt so quickly, cooly and crazily? The implications behind that question, as well as the answers to it keep you watching, every time.

Coffee? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxuzvlMmMbI

Wanna see what happens next on the list? Tune in tomorrow Contemporaries!

-B