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

The Tops in 2009: Part 2

Aaaand ... we're back!

If you haven't read numbers 10 though 6, well then scroll down. Or better yet, just clicker here? (http://blakegoble.blogspot.com/2010/01/tops-in-2009-part-1.html)

Now, for the thrilling conclusion to: The Tops in 2009!

A striking and promising debut from designer Tom Ford, "Single Man" is a tragic story of love lost and a day in the life of a Los Angeles english professor. Colin Firth ("Mamma Mia!") puts on a show as George, the professor who just lost his long-term lover Jim (Matthew Goode, "Watchmen") to an accident. George contemplates suicide, constantly being teased into staying alive. The loss burns deep. We feel George's pain. Firth is Best Actor worthy, as was Jeff Bridges in '09. But unlike "Crazy Heart," "Man" is filmed a stylish sturdiness that shows Tom Ford isn't just some shallow sex machine in a suit. There's a lot that goes on beneath the exterior, and we look a little bit inside George. To be fair, I did want to buy some damn Ford clothes after this thing. But, I settled for downloading the elegant soundtrack. This is "Mad Men's" tortured soul, and it's way more affecting.

Alright! Pixar comes back into my heart with Pete Docter's "Up." After superficial efforts in "Wall-E" and "Cars," (yeah, I called them superficial) "Up" re-strengthens the Pixar mold of sturdy stories met with sterling sights. Ed Asner (TV's "Freakazoid!" for some reason) is Carl, a widower who decides to take the trip to South America he promised his wife so long ago. And if you've seen a poster, you know he gets there in his house, with a helluva lotta balloons. Carl's joined by Russel, an over-eager young Boy Scout, Dug, a most likable talking dog, and Kevin, a large and rare bird. Part fantasy, part cautionary tale, "UP" is all whimsy. Also, the perfect first ten minutes will make you cry in way that puts Bambi to shame. Carl and his wive's lives are chronicled in a perfectly edited and scored montage, deserving of study.

Somewhere, in some preview, a critic claimed that the stop motion "Fantastic Mr. Fox" just goes to show that "Pixar doesn't have a monopoly on fine films." And how. Wes Anderson's latest is not only his best work in eight years, but it's his most creative piece, well suited for his talents of selfish men and meaningful minutiae for the camera. George Clooney is that fox, and we follow his fun and fancy free as he faces off with three nasty farmers. But's there far more than just that story on display. "Mr. Fox" is a rich and rewarding adaptation from the doyen of children's fiction, Roald Dahl. Seeing as Anderson's film is about details, here a few of the strong ones: Stellar soundtrack, perfectly cast voices, a thoughtful story, great sense of humor, smart and simple dialogue, style to spare, details, details and more details. And it only gets better with each fantastic viewing. Damn. Almost made it without the obvious comment...

This film has become almost supernatural in my mind. Werner Herzog's "Bad Lieutenant" is an immediate cult classic on institutional failure and excesses in the life and times of one, bad, policeman. Nic Cage is in full gonzo mode, screaming, drinking, fucking, betting, shooting, snorting, beating, and just plain gettin' real weird with it. As Terence McDonough, the bad man of the title, Cage plays a possibly good man, tainted by, well, everything that surrounds him. Ostensibly, "Lieutenant" is a rambling mess. Why watch Cage be forkin' nuts for two hours? Because the memories are deep, lasting and often hysterical. Try watching this and not having a quote-a-thon after it's done. That's not to belittle Herzog's character study as too strange to watch. In fact, Cage and Herzog would only want you to call this movie crazy. This is a tour de force movie. And if you aren't seeing iguanas afterwards ... well, that's probably alright.

I probably shouldn't tell you this, but lemme tell you why "The Hurt Locker" was so damn awesome. I went to see this with three friends, and admittedly, a couple of us were drunk ... ish. We saw it with the idea that this was supposed to be some unusually good action flick. Ya know, some wise-crackin' bomb defuser flick. "Speed" without Keanu. Well, within 15 minutes, it's like all the Bud Select had been diffused and I was in a catatonic state. Same went for the others with me. "Hurt Locker" grabbed all of us.

Kathryn Bigelow's structuralist war epic "Hurt Locker" grabs you, keeps you in its clenched fists, and never leaves. I have only seen "Hurt Locker" once, but it's just that affecting. A flawless thriller of ideas and technique, Bigelow hit a career high. More than bomb defuser actioner, "Hurt Locker" is not only best film to observe the Iraq War, it is one of the great war films. It is innovative for its aesthetics, breath-taking for its story, and certainly the finest film of 2009. Unlike the ephemeral jolt of an explosion, this important stunner of a film will endure.

"Antichrist" - I'm a sucker for shock value, and Lars Von Trier's psycho-drama featured gynocide, the death of an infant, and a forebodingly talkative fox. Hilarious to some, harrowing for others. This got folks talking.

"Observe & Report" - Jody Hill has tremendous potential. After seeing this pitch black comedy about a delusional mall cop, I foresee Hill becoming something of a Scorsese in comedy. Plus, Seth Rogen shows his dark side, and it's painfully, fatalistically funny.

"Broken Embraces" - A film appreciation course for film lovers. Parts Welles, Hitchcock, Truffaut, Herzog and a dozen others, Almodovar created a soapy opus about a blind filmmaker's lost film. Penelope Cruz is luminous. Indulgent, in a mostly marvelous way.

"Le Nana (The Maid)" - From Chile, this domestic disturbance of a movie was way underseen. My hail mary for best actress, this examination of a maid in crisis after 20+ years of aiding her family draws you in. Eerily familiar, and sensationally dramatic.

Did not see:

"35 Shots of Rum"

"Goodbye Solo"

"Anvi: The Story of Anvil"

"Ponyo"

"The Cove"

"The Messenger"

And the rest?:

"Avatar" B+

"Inglourious Basterds" B-

"An Education" A-

"Crazy Heart" B+

"Precious" B

"In the Loop" B+

"Up in the Air" C

"(500) Days of Summer" C

Coming Soon: The Tops in 2009

By the end of this week — after I definitively determine "Crazy Heart's" worth or possible lack of — I'm bringing you the Top Ten Films of 2009 list.

I've got a week left to really think about this. Let the films of 2009 sink in. It was a decent year, what with Anderson's triumphant return, Pixar's personal comeback, and Michael Bay getting laughed it. There will be a top ten, an honor roll, and of course an admittance of glaring omissions from films I haven't seen. Anything I need to catch before the weekend? Let me know. Do it in the comments. Do it. In the comments.

Forget best of the decade stuff. I like, live in the now man! That, and I need a few months to reflect. In due time, I'll pitch a VH1-type retrospective on the oughts.

Lost my train of thought.

OH! The Top Films of 2009. Coming Soon.

Here's a sneak peek at what's coming, from what happened: