I haven't been posting as much as I'd like to in recent weeks. I've been busy! Not doing anything particularly important, mind you. February is coming to a close (and if I don't finish it by the end of February, then it'll already had come to a close), so I think it's time to continue my month-long tradition by posting my favorite songs released this month. Oh, and if you're wondering why I haven't been posting so much, I've been spending my morning computer time (which is when I usually write these things) watching True Detective. And if you haven't been watching that show, I highly recommend finding a way to do so. It's brilliant and the most thrilling thing on television at the moment.
Anyway, without further ado... here are my favorite tracks of the month!
5. Trust - "Capitol"
4. Beck - "Wave"
3. Sun Kil Moon - "I Love My Dad"
There are so many great songs on this album, any of the tracks could have made this list but I'll list this one because I heard it in February!
2. Cloud Nothings - "Psychic Trauma"
1. Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks - "Little Fang"
A few honorable mention songs that I really liked:
Sun Kil Moon, Benji.
This is going to be a top ten album of the year for me. There's not enough I can say about it, but I'll put it simply. This is one of the most heart-wrenching, beautiful albums I've ever listened to. As heavy as the album can be, it's often sweet, funny, and heart-warming as well. I've dug Kozelek's stuff for a while now, but aside from a few great songs, nothing has worked as well for me as this album did.
Best songs: "I Love My Dad," "Richard Ramirez Died Today Of Natural Causes," "Dogs," "Ben's My Friend," and "Carissa."
Great runner-up albums:
Yumi Zouma, Yumi Zouma.
Only four tracks, but it's perfect from start to finish.
Beck, Morning Phase.
Not quite on par with Sea Change, but it's still a very solid record.
I haven't given myself time to really listen to St. Vincent's album yet, but I've liked what I heard. Also, I'm pretty overwhelmed with all of the music that's out right now so you may see albums released now, that I won't talk about until April or May. As for my movie of the month?
So it just came to my attention that A Nightmare On Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors just turned 27 today. This movie is special to me for a few reasons, not only was it released during my birth year (1987) but it also happens to be my favorite Elm Street film, and one of the better horror films of the 80s which makes it one of the best horror films ever made.
Sure, none of that is extremely personal enough to warrant it to be truly "special." I can't exactly recall what my Elm Street timeline is, my first memory of watching a Freddy Krueger film was seeing the fifth one in the iconic series, The Dream Child, at the tender age of eight. After that, in fifth grade I remember trading videotapes with a good friend from school at the time, a few of which were Elm Street films taped off of Showtime or Cinemax. Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare, A Nightmare On Elm Street 4: The Dream Master, and Dream Warriors were those films. I loved them all, each with their respected charms, but Dream Warriors was definitely the one that stood out to me at the time. The special effects were incredible, and among the best of the decade. The film marked the transitional phase between "Scary Freddy" and "Comic Freddy," implementing the strongest of both personality traits. Plus, his best one-liner can be found here: "Welcome to prime time, bitch!" I'm basically trying to say I love this film.
Anyways, happy birthday you filthy animal!
This is why Thailand is better than we are...
With that said, our poster was pretty damn cool too. I really miss hand-painted horror movie posters by the way.
If you're a fan of horror films, then that probably means you're a fan of filmmaker, Ti West. Ti West is responsible for some of the better (and scarier) horror films of the past few years, The House Of The Devil and The Innkeepers. The red-band trailer for his new film, The Sacrament, was released earlier today and it looks intense!
I'm not sure how I could forget to include this on my Most Anticipated Films Of 2014 list, I would've fit nice and snugly in there. Anyways, I'd start getting excited because Ti West's name will one day be synonymous with horror, just as much as George Romero or Wes Craven is today.
This took longer than I wished for, but here it is folks! My 25 personal favorite films of the 2000s!!! That's 2000 - 2009 mind you, enjoy!
25. Ghost Dog: The Way Of The Samurai [2000]
24. Shaun Of The Dead [2004]
23. Bronson [2008]
22. The Proposition [2006]
21. Brick [2006]
20. City Of God [2003]
19. Finding Nemo [2003]
18. Zodiac [2007]
17. Kill Bill Saga [2003/2004]
16. Mulholland Drive [2001]
15. Before Sunset [2006]
14. District 9 [2009]
13. Synecdoche, New York [2008]
12. Sunshine [2007]
11. Requiem For A Dream [2000]
10. Memento [2001]
9. Donnie Darko [2001]
8. Dogtooth [2009]
7. Punch-Drunk Love [2002]
6. 28 Days Later [2003]
5. Children Of Men [2006]
4. Inglourious Basterds [2009]
3. Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind [2004]
2. No Country For Old Men [2007]
1. There Will Be Blood [2007]
So there you have it! There were a lot of films that loved during that decade that didn't make the cut, so here's my big list of other great films from the 2000s:
Inland Empire
The Dark Knight
Pan's Labyrinth
Oldboy
Lady Vengeance
O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Irreversible
Enter The Void
Thirst
The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy (especially Fellowship)
25th Hour
The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford
Grindhouse (Death Proof being the better of both films)
Since I haven't posted anything in a few days (I'm working on a list at the moment! Maybe we'll see it in the next few days?), I might as well post something. Keep the content coming, they say! The subject title says it all, this is my movie of the week!
We Need To Talk About Kevin [2011]
If you haven't had a chance to see Lynne Ramsay's finest film to date, We Need To Talk About Kevin, I recommend you rectify that situation. It's a hauntingly beautiful portrait of parenthood GONE WRONG (sorry, everything is an exploitative Fox TV special in my head) and it mirrors every fear I have about the subject. As fascinating as the story is, and as wonderful as Tilda Swinton is in the film, I'd recommend watching it just for the masterful visual storytelling. Ramsay's use of lighting and color (pay attention to the reds, blues, and yellows) to accentuate guilt and story is some of the best display of the technique I've seen in recent film. It's been nearly a week since I first watched it and it's still present in my mind and it'll likely stick with you for a long time.
I thought about giving the film some sort of gimmicky rating, but my ms paint pictures are already my gimmick. Can one have two gimmicks and still be okay? I don't know. But I give this movie FOUR BAD MOMMIES AND DADDIES OUT OF FIVE.
We lost a true artist yesterday, even more tragic because he died at the young age of 46. Philip Seymour Hoffman was one of those rare talents in which he improved literally any film he appeared in, he had a phenomenal on-screen presence and he'll be dearly missed. His work has influenced my passion for film as much as any great director has. I've been a fan ever since I was a kid, watching Twister nearly every day, his character "Dusty" being the best part of the film. In the rare instance of appearing in not-so great films, he managed to create memorable characters even when the writing didn't warrant it (Along Came Polly, Twister). As great as he was as a dramatic actor, he also was a great comedic actor. One of my favorite moments of physical comedy comes from his character in Along Came Polly:
His body of work is as close to perfection as an actor could achieve and here's a list of some of his most noteworthy performances. I highly recommend checking every one of these films out:
Capote Before The Devil Knows You're Dead The Savages The Master Synecdoche, New York 25th Hour Magnolia Boogie Nights Owning Mahowny Happiness
There are so much more. I'm really fucking bummed about this. We're lucky to have had the chance to see and admire his work and we can only wonder what else he could have achieved.
Okay now, where were we? F those of you catching up, you can look at the first part of my two-parter The Matrix Reloaded/Revolutions deal...
And now, I will continue to criticize the Academy Awards!
2007 No Country For Old Men Atonement Juno Michael Clayton There Will Be Blood
Listen up and listen good! This is one of the very few years in recent history where the deserving film won the award. To be honest, I still would have preferred There Will Be Blood because it's my second favorite film of all time and it's one of the few films released in the 2000s that will be considered a classic years down the line, if not already. I'm splitting hairs here, because No Country For Old Men is destined to be celebrated forever as well. If anything, I'm happy the Coen Brothers won what was long overdue.
Let me digress a little bit... Did you know both films were filmed in Marfa, Texas and at the same time? And apparently the Coen Brothers and Paul Thomas Anderson would invite each other to their sets to watch footage from both films? I think that's fucking awesome. Both films have always felt linked together, both spiritually and thematically. They feel like companion pieces, two incredibly bleak revisionist westerns. I'd also like to point out that another revisionist western similar in tone came out that year called The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford and a bit of that was shot in Marfa, Texas as well. It's a neat coincidence, and as far as the genre goes, 2007 was had a trifecta of great Western cinema.
Now let's get down to brass tacks! I think the nominees list is fairly accurate aside from the Juno nomination. I enjoyed that film despite its flaws, but Zodiac was the third best film released that year and it's a damn shame it didn't get nominated. It's David Fincher's masterpiece and maybe the best true-crime film ever made? I'll look into that! I get why Juno was nominated, and I won't argue that it didn't deserve to be nominated, but Zodiac is really important film that still garners thought-provoking think pieces and will continue to do so.
What should have won: There Will Be Blood. Eh, I think history will be on my side years from now.
2006 The Departed Babel Letters From Iwo Jima Little Miss Sunshine The Queen
First of all, the two of the year's best films are not even nominated: Pan's Labyrinth and Children Of Men. Yeah yeah, I know, Pan'sLabyrinth was nominated for Best Foreign Film. But fuck that! Pan's Labyrinth was one of those rare foreign films that American audiences decided to invite in with a warm embrace. And Children Of Men should have nominated because it's awesome and for its technical wizardry. But whatever, The Departed won. I loved The Departed, it's a great crime film and it's endlessly entertaining. And as great as it was when Martin Scorsese won Best Picture, it felt like an IOU by the Academy. Here is a small list of every time Scorsese was robbed at the Oscars:
- Taxi Driver [1976], what beat it: Rocky - Raging Bull [1980], what beat it: Ordinary People - Goodfellas [1990], what beat it: Dances With Wolves
You see what I mean? The Oscar's have been pussies for many, many years. Overall though, 2006 had a pretty solid list of Best Picture nominees.
What should have won:Pan's Labyrinth. Duh. It was the most original film made that year, one of the greatest fantasy films ever made, the make-up effects were phenomenal (and frightening), it was emotionally rich, everyone loved it, and it still managed to be a great war film.
2005
Crash Brokeback Mountain Capote Good Night, And Good Luck Munich
Fuck Crash! Any film released that year could have won over that diarrhea-fest, even Son Of The Mask! Crash is essentially a film written by a kid in high school who's just learning about racism in America. The film has a potentially great idea and could have been an interesting examination of race issues in Los Angeles, but it ended up being hokey and manipulative. If you want to watch an excellent film about racial tension, structured through vignettes in a similar fashion as Crash, watch Do The Right Thing. It's Spike Lee's best film and it was robbed of a Best Picture nomination back in 1989. What won that year? Rain Man.
Rain Man is a good movie, it's a Saturday-afternoon cable staple for crying out loud! Do The Right Thing is one of the most important films of the last 40 years.
Terrence Malick's gorgeous interpretation of the Pocahontas-story, The New World is missing a nomination and that was a film that audiences seemingly brushed aside because Colin Farrell is in it. Then again, they did the same with Miami Vice [2006] and that's one of the most underrated films of the 2000s. I've still have yet to see Good Night, And Good Luck (even though I own it) so I'm not exactly qualified to choose here. Munich is excellent, and one of Spielberg's ballsiest films, even if it's a bit overlong. I think everyone who gave a shit back then would agree that Brokeback Mountain deserved it.
What should have won: Brokeback Mountain. It was the most talked about film of the year, with good reason. Not only was it important culturally, how many romance films between two gay men were recognized amongst a wide-audience before then? It was also one of the great love stories of the decade, as well as in recent history. Ang Lee's direction is perfect, the performances were incredible and because of that the emotional weight the film carries is well-deserved... unlike Crash! It's a shame that whenever Brokeback Mountain is referenced in pop-culture it's usually as a punchline to a joke. I'm not saying I'm above a gay cowboy joke (my ms paint picture below should indicate that), but I think the film deserves more than that.
2004 Million Dollar Baby The Aviator Finding Neverland Ray Sideways
This is one of the Oscar-baitiest lists of the 2000s, Ray especially (despite Jamie Foxx's great performance). None of them are necessarily bad, The Aviator and Sideways (which should have won from that list) were great and Million Dollar Baby was pretty good as well. But let me point out a few films that could have been nominated, Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind, Hotel Rwanda, and Closer. There's not much to really discuss here because there's only one logical film that should have won.
What should have won:Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind. Not only is it one of the most wholly original and creative films ever made, it also boasts one of the great original screenplays (courtesy of Charlie Kaufman). Eternal Sunshine is a film that struck a cord with audiences, as surreal and abstract as the film is, it still resonates with almost anyone who's ever been in love or has been in a bad relationship. In fact, I'd say it's the best depiction of a failing relationship ever in film (and I'm including the extremely realistic Blue Valentine). What this movie achieves that so many films like it don't, it's funny and it rewards with each subsequent viewing because of how the narrative is structured. Eee! There's almost too much to say about this film, it's so richly-detailed with subtext and symbolism you find something new every time you watch it. The performances are spot-on (especially by Jim Carrey, who didn't even fucking get a Best Actor nomination) and the direction is gorgeous. I'd also like to point out that Michel Gondry and Kaufman's depiction of dreams is the most realistic portrayal of something that's nearly impossible to capture. Plus, I forgot to include this on my list of music used effectively in film post a couple weeks back.
Basically what I'm trying to say is that Eternal Sunshine could be the best film of the 2000s and even when it was released it was something special. So, screw the Academy for not recognizing it enough.
2003 The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King Lost In Translation Master And Commander: The Far Side Of The World Mystic River Seabiscuit
I'm not going to argue with the Best Picture choice. The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy (do I italicize "trilogy?") was the movie event of the decade and they were all fantastic films, The Return Of The King wasn't the best of the three (The Fellowship Of The Ring holds that honor) but it still was a huge cinematic achievement.It was well-deserved I say! Although, I'd also like to say that Seabiscuit is garbage. And here are a few films that could have replaced it: Monster, Kill Bill Vol. 1, Finding Nemo, Cold Mountain, Big Fish, City Of God, and 21 Grams.
What should have won:The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King. But it actually won! For the reasons I specified above. It's a spectacle in every sense of the word.
Whoo, finally done! Just remember kiddos, Pulp Fiction lost to Forrest Gump back in 1994. That's one of the great examples of the Oscar's making the wrong choice by playing it safe, and most film enthusiasts would agree that Pulp Fiction was the most important film of the decade and nothing has had it's impact since (please correct me if I'm wrong though, because I could be overlooking something.). I'm not one of those kinds of people who hates Forrest Gump, I love that movie, and it's something I rarely get bored of whenever I catch it on the television but let's be real here! I'm rambling now, kind of a weak finish to my blog, but I don't really care, I have to go to work in a minute.
