Direct My Viewing Please for the 00s

[Dillard]

So, I'm trying to participate in Criterion's Lists Project for the best of the 00s, and need to turn in my top 50 by Sunday. In the meantime, I'm watching as many as I can on Netflix's instant watch.

Here are some that are in my instant queue (and I know I can't get to all of them) so direct my viewing please!

24 City - Jia (2008)
4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days - Mungiu (2007)
Alexandra - Sokurov (2007)
The Aura - Bielinsky (2005)
Ballast - Hammer (2008)
Be With Me - Khoo (2005)
Che - Soderbergh (2008)
Cherry Blossoms - Dorrie (2008)
Chop Shop - Bahrani (2007)
The Death of Mr. Lazarescu - Puiu (2006)
Duck Season - Eimbcke (2006)
Edge of Heaven - Akin (2007)
Exiled (http://match-cut.org/showpost.php?p=237400&postcount=29) - To (2006)
Election - To (2005)
Gamorrah - Garronne (2008)
Goodbye Solo - Bahrani (2008)
Happy-Go-Lucky - Leigh (2008)
Head-On - Akin (2004)
The Headless Woman - Martel (2008)
Honeydripper - Sayles (2007)
Into Great Silence - Groning (2005)
The Intruder - Denis (2005)
I Served the King of England - Menzel (2006)
Jerichow - Petzold (2008)
Kitchen Stories - Hamer (2004)
Late Marriage - Koshashvili (2001)
Little Otik - Svankmajer (2001)
Man on the Train - Leconte (2002)
Man Push Cart - Bahrani (2005)
Monsoon Wedding - Nair (2001)
Oasis (http://match-cut.org/showpost.php?p=236952&postcount=26) - Lee (2002)
Oldboy - Park (2003)
Platform - Jia (2000)
Private Property - Lafosse (2006)
Silent Light - Reygadas (2008)
Three Monkeys - Ceylon (2008)
To Be and To Have - Philibert (2002)
Tulpan - Dvortsevoy (2008)
Two Lovers (http://match-cut.org/showpost.php?p=236685&postcount=15) - Gray (2008)
Unknown Pleasures - Jia (2003)
Waiting For Happiness - Sissako (2002)
Wendy and Lucy - Reichardt (2008)
Who's Camus Anyway? - Yanagimachi (2005)
The Wind That Shakes the Barley - Loach (2006)
Woman is the Future of Man - Hong (2004)

Which films do I absolutely need to see before Sunday? Top 5/10/20, however you want to do it, would be great.

I realize this thread is very self-serving, but if you like, I can report back on the films in the next several days.

[Kurosawa Fan]

Goodbye Solo - Bahrani (2008)
Happy-Go-Lucky - Leigh (2008)
Kitchen Stories - Hamer (2004)
Man on the Train - Leconte (2002)
Oasis - Lee (2002)
Oldboy - Park (2003)
Two Lovers - Gray (2008)

Which films do I absolutely need to see before Sunday?

These are my favorites from that list, with the ones in bold being can't miss films.

[Kurious Jorge v3.1]

Oasis is a MUST SEE

[Qrazy]

Duck Season - Eimbcke (2006)
Exiled - To (2007)
Election - To (2005)
Little Otik - Svankmajer (2001)
Monsoon Wedding - Nair (2001)
Oldboy - Park (2003)
The Wind That Shakes the Barley - Loach (2006)


I've seen these. Bolded are the ones I would recommend. Little Otik and Duck Season are pretty good also but I wouldn't go out of my way for them. The Wind and Monsoon Wedding were both weak.

[Eleven]

4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days - Mungiu (2007)
Chop Shop - Bahrani (2007)
The Death of Mr. Lazarescu - Puiu (2006)
Edge of Heaven - Akin (2007)
Exiled - To (2007)
Election - To (2005)
Gamorrah - Garronne (2008)
Goodbye Solo - Bahrani (2008)
Happy-Go-Lucky - Leigh (2008)
The Headless Woman - Martel (2008)
Little Otik - Svankmajer (2001)
Man Push Cart - Bahrani (2005)
Oldboy - Park (2003)
Silent Light - Reygadas (2008)
Three Monkeys - Ceylon (2008)
Two Lovers - Gray (2008)
Waiting For Happiness - Sissako (2002)
Wendy and Lucy - Reichardt (2008)
The Wind That Shakes the Barley - Loach (2006)
Woman is the Future of Man - Hong (2004)


Seen the quoted, bold are what I'd recommend.

[Ezee E]

4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days - Mungiu (2007)
Gamorrah - Garronne (2008)
Oldboy - Park (2003)
Two Lovers - Gray (2008)

There's quite a few that I like a lot, but these are the ones that I think are above the rest.

[Beau]

Speaking of Argentine movies, The Aura should not be anywhere near any top list of anything anywhere, even though it's still pretty good. The Headless Woman would be on my list, and very high, but I'm a Martel fanboy. All three of her films would be on my top fifty. Try to find Historias Extraordinarias by Mariano Llinas. That's a great Argentine film. Not on Netflix, though.

I would also recommend Wendy and Lucy and 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days.

[Derek]

The Death of Mr. Lazarescu - Puiu (2006)
Happy-Go-Lucky - Leigh (2008)
Head-On - Akin (2004)
The Intruder - Denis (2005)
Oasis - Lee (2002)
Platform - Jia (2000)
Two Lovers - Gray (2008)
Wendy and Lucy - Reichardt (2008)

Highly recommend all of these, esp. the bolded ones.

[Qrazy]

Highly recommend all of these, esp. the bolded ones.

Is Head-on accessible to people who don't care that much about movies?

[Beau]

Oh, I missed L'Intrus on that short-list. Yeah, that's a great film. Easy to hate, though.

[Derek]

Is Head-on accessible to people who don't care that much about movies?

Dillard doesn't care about movies?

[Qrazy]

Dillard doesn't care about movies?

Haha not about Dillard, I was thinking of watching it with some friends. They're open-minded to a point but I'm just wondering how accessible it is.

[Derek]

Haha not about Dillard, I was thinking of watching it with some friends. They're open-minded to a point but I'm just wondering how accessible it is.

Gotcha. As long as they're not opposed to read subtitles, it's a suprisingly accessible and visceral film.

[Qrazy]

Gotcha. As long as they're not opposed to read subtitles, it's a suprisingly accessible and visceral film.

Cool. Thanks.

[Dillard]

Hey! What's all this about me not caring about movies?

By the way, thanks for all the recommendations guys!

Just watched Two Lovers and I had a really hard time with it. It's beautifully-shot and acted, but for personal reasons, I found Leonard's dysfunction really hard to watch. When I get this wrapped up in a character's situation and decisions, it's an emotional rollercoaster. Just choose the stable Jewish hottie for God's sake!

And don't give me that ambiguous bullshit ending! I want Leonard to be happy in the long run! I AM Isabella Rossellini.

Deeply affecting and disturbing. Leonard and Michelle are teenagers trapped within 30-something bodies, and I am a teenager again watching them.

For now, I'll just leave this thing unrated.

[ledfloyd]

4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days - Mungiu (2007)
Chop Shop - Bahrani (2007)
Goodbye Solo - Bahrani (2008)
Happy-Go-Lucky - Leigh (2008)
The Headless Woman - Martel (2008)
The Intruder - Denis (2005)
Oldboy - Park (2003)
Silent Light - Reygadas (2008)
Two Lovers - Gray (2008)
Wendy and Lucy - Reichardt (2008)
i enjoyed all of those greatly and l'intrus would probably be on my best of the decade list.

[Spinal]

Definitely Happy-Go-Lucky.

[Stay Puft]

24 City - Jia (2008)
4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days - Mungiu (2007)
Chop Shop - Bahrani (2007)
Edge of Heaven - Akin (2007)
Exiled - To (2007)
Election - To (2005)
Goodbye Solo - Bahrani (2008)
Head-On - Akin (2004)
Man Push Cart - Bahrani (2005)
Oldboy - Park (2003)
Two Lovers - Gray (2008)
The Wind That Shakes the Barley - Loach (2006)

I've seen the above, highly recommend the bolded.

Oh, you watched Two Lovers. Anyways...

[BuffaloWilder]

The Fall, Children of Men, and Happy Feet are strangely absent - other than that, your list seems fit to run.

[Grouchy]

Must see: Exiled - Goodbye Solo - Oldboy

Specially Oldboy. You must watch that right now and have your life changed and your head blown.

Good: The Aura - Election

Bad: The Headless Woman - Silent Light

[BuffaloWilder]

I agree with my co-writer - Oldboy just might be the best film to ever come out of Korea. Ever.


Ever.

[Derek]

I agree with my co-writer - Oldboy just might be the best film to ever come out of Korea. Ever.


Ever.

It's not even the best Korean film on Dillard's original list. :)

[soitgoes...]

4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days - Mungiu (2007)
The Aura - Bielinsky (2005)
Che - Soderbergh (2008)
Chop Shop - Bahrani (2007)
Duck Season - Eimbcke (2006)
Edge of Heaven - Akin (2007)
Exiled - To (2007)
Election - To (2005)
Gamorrah - Garronne (2008)
Happy-Go-Lucky - Leigh (2008)
Into Great Silence - Groning (2005)
Oasis - Lee (2002)
Oldboy - Park (2003)
Silent Light - Reygadas (2008)
Three Monkeys - Ceylon (2008)
Two Lovers - Gray (2008)
Wendy and Lucy - Reichardt (2008)
The Wind That Shakes the Barley - Loach (2006)

The above 4 are the best.

[Yxklyx]

1. Silent Light
2. Wendy and Lucy
3. 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days
4. Two Lovers
5. Who's Camus Anyway?
6. Little Otik

[dreamdead]

The Death of Mr. Lazarescu - Puiu (2006)
Duck Season - Eimbcke (2006)
Edge of Heaven - Akin (2007)
Exiled - To (2007)
Happy-Go-Lucky - Leigh (2008)
The Intruder - Denis (2005)
Monsoon Wedding - Nair (2001)
Oasis - Lee (2002)
Oldboy - Park (2003)
Platform - Jia (2000)
Two Lovers - Gray (2008)
Woman is the Future of Man - Hong (2004)


What I've seen, and bolded those that I love. There's better Hong available (Woman on the Beach or Tale of Cinema), Nair is enjoyable and fun but not especially lasting, Jia's Still Life is the best film of his that I've seen (though the static aspect of Platform certainly resonates politically). Puiu crafts emotional wonders with a simple enough story, To's film is a stylistic morality play lacking much of the excess of HK action films, Leigh's humanism is in fine form, and Lee's film greatly overshadows the more conventional interests of Park.

[Dillard]

*spoilers*

Watched Oasis. Beautiful film. Two people who nobody listens to find each other and affirm the worth of the other. I loved the nicknames given to the other: "Your highness" and "General." Nobody would imagine Gong-ju as a princess, yet Jong-du comes to see her in this way, first in a joking, playful way, then in an utterly serious way. Cutting down the branches of the tree that casts scary shadows on Gong-ju's wall, Jong-du honors his princess in a selfless, chivalric act. Gong-ju, for her part, honors her general by playing the song they share together, pressing her stereo to the window so he can hear. At first, I was waiting for Jong-du to self-destruct in his relationship with Gong-ju, and end up hurting her in some selfish way. That the opposite happens, Jong-du finding purpose in the relationship such that he can express love through his actions, is no small measure of grace. Indeed, it is Gong-ju that gives him grace in forgiving him his initial actions towards her.

Cutting social commentary: love is not recognizable unless it happens according to society's standards. Society condemns Gong-ju to loneliness and celibacy. It takes another outsider to cut through the shit. I wonder though: is there a sympathetic character outside of Gong-ju and Jong-du? The younger brother? Is Lee, in turn, condemning social insiders to cruelty and slavishness to etiquette (their own brand of dysfunction)? What do we make of that? Another question that comes out of this: is there hope for the two to be allowed a space within society to be together? In Lee's world, ultimately, I'm not sure that there is and that is very sad.

8/10

[Pop Trash]

Awesome:
Head-On - Akin (2004)
To Be and To Have - Philibert (2002)
Wendy and Lucy - Reichardt (2008)

Very Good:
Two Lovers - Gray (2008)
Chop Shop - Bahrani (2007)
Goodbye Solo - Bahrani (2008)

Good if a bit overrated IMO:
The Death of Mr. Lazarescu - Puiu (2006)
Happy-Go-Lucky - Leigh (2008)
Oldboy - Park (2003)
Unknown Pleasures - Jia (2003)

Couldn't get through it:
Silent Light - Reygadas (2008)

[chrisnu]

Let's see.

4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days - Mungiu (2007)
The Death of Mr. Lazarescu - Puiu (2006)
Happy-Go-Lucky - Leigh (2008)
Two Lovers - Gray (2008)
Wendy and Lucy - Reichardt (2008)

[Dillard]

*spoilers*

Exiled is my first To. I should say right off that I'm not a huge fan of actioner gangster films, Hong-Kong, Hollywood, or otherwise, and perhaps that's why I've steered clear of To up to this point. I was, for the most part, pleasantly surprised with many moments in the film: the breeze waving through the curtains of Wo's unfurnished apartment where his wife and child wait for his return, the gigantic long-shot of the four buddies racing down the stairs outside of the underground hospital, the establishing shots of the restaurant shootout scene. These moments were more than I was expecting to get from a "stylistic" gangster flick - there's an expressive poetry about them. Perhaps the most affecting moment of the film for me was the transition of the gangsters from being-at-odds to being-at-ease at the candlelit dinner.

Yet, for the most part, the dinner scene included, To jars us and his characters out of enjoying these meditative moments to bring us back to the world of genre violence. Other than enjoying the set pieces, the shoot-outs were where I started losing interest momentarily (just not my style of film), and here's my gripe with the genre: there has to be an allotment of blood and bullets and the story will inevitably pull the characters back in until the score is settled (which is what I found so refreshing about the opening sequence's movement into the next sequence with the group sitting down to dinner). This is just how the genre works, I understand, but it seemed more than contrived when Wo's wife walked right back into the hands of Boss Fay as bait for the main four just when they're about to make their getaway OR when an injured Boss Fay and his men meet up with the injured Wo and the four in, apparently, the only underground hospital in Macao. The plotting nuances are not the point, again, I understand, but they're a bit annoying when you're hoping the film subverts some of the genre expectations.

Fishing around for some critical appreciation of the film, I found this review (http://www.fredcamper.com/Film/To.html) by Fred Camper. There's a very helpful explanation of what separates the depiction of To's characters from that of classic Westerns and gangster films. I also appreciated Camper pointing out that the film eludes nihilism in the aforementioned visual poetry (affirmation of the beauty of moments).

5.5 or 6/10

[Llopin]

Edge of Heaven is much better than Head-On, in my opinion. Much more subtle and less excessive.

And can't go wrong with Jia Zhangke, specially Platform.

[Boner M]

Much more subtle and less excessive....and more boring.

[Derek]

...and more boring.

Yup, in my opinion.

[Pathétique]

Waiting for Happiness is a great film. More people should check it out.

[Dillard]

I watched Goodbye Solo and it ended up making my list for Solo's character alone. Pure charisma. One of the most striking characters I've encountered in a very long time.

Here's the final list I submitted tonight:

1. Yi Yi - Yang (2000)
2. Inland Empire - Lynch (2006)
3. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - Gondry (2004)
4. In the Mood For Love - Wong (2000)
5. Ghost World - Zwigoff (2001)
6. Sideways - Payne (2004)
7. All the Real Girls - Green (2003)
8. Michael Clayton - Gilroy (2007)
9. Summer Hours - Assayas (2008)
10. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford - Dominik (2007)
11. The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou - Anderson (2004)
12. High Fidelity - Frears (2000)
13. Lost in Translation - Coppola (2003)
14. O Brother Where Art Thou? - Coen (2000)
15. Waking Life - Linklater (2001)
16. Paranoid Park - Van Sant (2007)
17. Songs From the Second Floor - Andersson (2000)
18. Encounters at the End of the World - Herzog (2007)
19. Still Walking - Kore-Eda (2008)
20. Seance - Kurosawa (2000)
21. Grizzly Man - Herzog (2005)
22. Thirteen Conversations About One Thing - Sprecher (2001)
23. The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada - Jones (2005)
24. Talk to Her - Almodovar (2002)
25. Gone Baby Gone - Affleck (2007)
26. Zodiac - Fincher (2007)
27. The Return - Zvyagintsev (2003)
28. Werckmeister Harmonies - Tarr (2000)
29. Dracula: Pages From a Virgin's Diary - Maddin (2002)
30. Memento - Nolan (2000)
31. Distant - Ceylon (2002)
32. Spirited Away - Miyazaki (2001)
33. The World - Zhang Ke Jia (2004)
34. Fantastic Mr. Fox - Anderson (2009)
35. 12:08 East of Bucharest - Porumboiu (2006)
36. WallE - Stanton (2008)
37. Punch-Drunk Love - Anderson (2002)
38. The Emperor's New Groove - Dindal (2000)
39. Let the Right One In - Alfredson (2008)
40. Code Unknown - Haneke (2000)
41. Before Sunset - Linklater (2004)
42. Oasis - Lee (2002)
43. Goodbye Solo - Bahrani (2008)
44. Shotgun Stories - Nichols (2007)
45. The Orphanage - Bayona (2007)
46. Gran Torino - Eastwood (2008)
47. Amelie - Jeunet (2001)
48. Capturing the Friedmans - Jarecki (2003)
49. Big Fish - Burton (2003)
50. Moon - Jones (2009)

[Dillard]

Zedz and criterionforum just finished up collating.

Here's their top 100 (http://criterionforum.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=274584#p274584 ) of the 00s:

1. IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE (1320)
2. MULHOLLAND DR. (1307)
3. YI YI (1049)
4. THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS (935)
5. PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE (836)
6. WERCKMEISTER HARMONIES (789)
7. THE NEW WORLD (761)
8. THERE WILL BE BLOOD (759)
9. ZODIAC (756)
10. ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND (736)
11. SPIRITED AWAY (709)
12. GOODBYE, DRAGON INN (698)
13. CACHE (693)
14. DOGVILLE (630)
15. INLAND EMPIRE (621)
16. TALK TO HER (587)
17. NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN (579)
18. ELEPHANT (563)
19. MEMORIES OF MURDER (550)
20. L’ INTRUS (525)
21. PLATFORM
22. CHILDREN OF MEN
23. THE SON
24. BEFORE SUNSET
25. Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN
26. THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD
27. MEMENTO
28. 4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS, 2 DAYS
29. A.I.: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
30= GRIZZLY MAN (420)
30= STILL WALKING (420)
32. 35 SHOTS OF RUM
33. A CHRISTMAS TALE
34. SYNDROMES AND A CENTURY
35. TROPICAL MALADY
36. THE WORLD
37= A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE
37= THE WHITE RIBBON
39. SUMMER HOURS
40. THE HEADLESS WOMAN (353)
41. WHAT TIME IS IT THERE?
42. RUSSIAN ARK
43. NOBODY KNOWS
44. YOU, THE LIVING
45. LA CIENAGA
46= MILLENNIUM MAMBO
46= THE PIANO TEACHER
48= FRIDAY NIGHT
48= THE GLEANERS & I
50= LOST IN TRANSLATION (324)
50= THREE TIMES (324)
52. 2046
53. LET THE RIGHT ONE IN
54. MIAMI VICE
55. THE RETURN
56. THE SQUID AND THE WHALE
57. LILYA 4-EVER
58= 25TH HOUR
58= BAD EDUCATION
60= AMELIE (294)
60= THE VIRGIN STRIPPED BARE BY HER BACHELORS (294)
62. ADAPTATION
63. CODE UNKNOWN
64. THE DEATH OF MR LAZARESCU
65. THE CHILD
66. THE MAN WHO WASN'T THERE
67. IN THE CITY OF SYLVIA
68. THE LIFE AQUATIC WITH STEVE ZISSOU
69= ANTICHRIST (252)
69= BIRTH (252)
71. WALL-E
72. THE HURT LOCKER
73= STILL LIFE
73= WHO'S CAMUS ANYWAY?
75. MARGOT AT THE WEDDING
76. WOMAN IS THE FUTURE OF MAN
77. SYNECHDOCHE, NEW YORK
78. DEMONLOVER
79= KILL BILL (229)
79= MAN WITHOUT A PAST (229)
81. EUREKA
82. I'M NOT THERE
83. LINDA LINDA LINDA
84. PARANOID PARK
85= GEORGE WASHINGTON
85= MORVERN CALLAR
87. GHOST WORLD
88= THE THREE BURIALS OF MELQUIADES ESTRADA
88= WOMAN ON THE BEACH
90. ALL THE REAL GIRLS (213)
91= MYSTERIOUS SKIN
91= WENDY AND LUCY
93. TOKYO SONATA
94. PAN'S LABYRINTH
95= BRAND UPON THE BRAIN!
95= THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY
95= SONGS FROM THE SECOND FLOOR
98= CAFÉ LUMIERE (201)
98= INNOCENCE (201)
98= PULSE (201)

Comments?