MATCH-CUT's TOP 20 (and bottom 10) FILMS OF 2010 - COUNTDOWN

[Boner M]

http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/5396/matchcut.jpg

Hello again, match-cutters, it's your pal AW here. Welcome to the 5th annual match-cut year-end top 20 film countdown. It's been quite a journey. And yet, by lasting this long, match-cut forsakes the glorious ephemerality of Kevin James' tumble-down-a-cliff pratfall in Grown-Ups, instead opting for the long-take hispterism of Apichatpong Weerasethakul's films. I am joined here today by the previous countdown hosts: an overexposed starlet who must be talented because most say she is not, a film critic who is perceptive and eloquent because most say he isn't, a young actor who is in fact not extreeeme because he starred in a few movies I disliked, and John Huston's son, whose ubiquity is certainly not the result of nepotism, as many say it is. This year's host is a filmmaker whose flashy, empty, nihilistic filmography embodies everything venal about today's film culture - ie, definitely not Michael Bay.

Stay tuned to find out who it is!

[Spinal]

I am a huge fan of venality, so I am stoked.

[Raiders]

Oh... I think I figured out the host.

:|

[baby doll]

Oh... I think I figured out the host.

:|Fincher? Maybe Nolan. Possibly Aronofsky. Just maybe Carlos Reygadas.

[Raiders]

Fincher? Maybe Nolan. Possibly Aronofsky. Just maybe Carlos Reygadas.

I'm going with

Gaspar Noe.

The description fits and Spinal's choice won. And he could be made to be entertaining.

[Boner M]

http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/hprofile-ak-snc4/50494_23712058667_1209189_n.jp g

Greetings, wimps. I am VISIONARY, ICONOLASTIC, BAD-BOY director Gaspar Noe. You might remember me from such films as Enter the Void, Irreversible, The Wizard of Oz, and Manos: The Hands of Fate, among many other titles. I only received credit for the first two of those films, as the others were directed in my past lives. I learned this through extensive reading of the Tibetan Book of the Dead, as pictured.

http://www.tibet-trilogy.com/images/book_of_the_dead_us.jpg

It has a complete Gaspar Noe filmography in the back! True story.

My current life as a filmmaker has been altogether rewarding, however sporadically I make feature films. But being a VISIONARY, ICONOLASTIC, BAD-BOY director, I refuse to compromise my approach, meaning I have been denied many promising film projects over the years. These include, but are not limited to - all the films on match-cut's top 20 films of 2010 list. With each entry, I will detail my original intentions for the project, telling numerous mournful stories of the Films That Could Have Been. That is, the top 20 films of 2010, in glorious...

http://i.picasion.com/pic39/1c88f6d998a3a44910701418094f8c 5f.gif

But first! The worst films of the year. None of which I directed. Naturally.

[elixir]

Haha, this is great. Excited!

[B-side]

Heh. This should be good.

[Boner M]

BOTTOM 10!

10. The Secret in their Eyes

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cIEJkD82e60/S6pugXjWnrI/AAAAAAAACgE/EqF3HdDSLvs/s1600/rochelle.png

Its focus on glances is puerile, which is fitting for its elementary school approach to love: males obsessively staring at their loved ones in pictures, sexual tension made so overt the characters might as well have had outwardly throbbing hearts a la Looney Tunes characters, etc. The protagonist’s attachment to the case is reminiscent of Zodiac - the difference being that case was actually interesting, nearly unsolvable and rendered with a remarkable attention to detail by Fincher and Co. whereas Eyes’ case leaves no room for error or imagination and Campanella does a poor job establishing why it remains so haunting. No, this film is too interested in its vapid central love affair, which plays out predictably through many, many, many flashbacks where the two exchange one “fuck me” glance after another to the point where you begin to wander if Esposito is some sort of social retard. - Derek

[Boner M]

9. Legion

http://www.availableimages.com/images/previews/We%27re%20No%20Angels%20(1989) .jpg

IThe movie IS the trailer. The Angel (Michael) comes down from heaven, cuts off his own wings, searches for girl with baby. That's of course not before he stitches up his own back where his wings used to be and arms himself with LOTS of guns... how convenient. I HATE the cliches in this movie. I HATE how It's a Wonderful Life is playing on the TV in the diner, I HATE the response from the slutty looking girl when her mom questions if what she's wearing is appropriate, I HATE the grandma scene... it's so OVER exaggerated... There's scenes that end and never get explained...Dennis Quaid has some awful lines the entire movie reeks of D grade horror... which is too bad because there is some nice imagery, particularly the Ice Cream Man scene. But you can always just watch the trailer for that considering its not any longer. - Duke

[Boner M]

8. The A-Team

http://www.mtbshorts.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/douchebag.jpg

I say this as a fan of Smokin' Aces, for some reason. The A-Team starts as a funny joke and quickly becomes a painfully awful piece of shitty mc shit shit. - eternity

[Mara]

Fantastic.

[Boner M]

7. Hot Tub Time Machine

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Unfunny piece of screaming shit. - Grouchy

[Boner M]

6. The Human Centipede

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I found it dull and boring. The first quarter was formulaic and reminiscent of every other slasher movie I've ever seen. The two American girls were utterly unlikable. Dr. Heiter's character didn't have the subtle psychological mannerisms I was looking for in a such a mentally afflicted individual, and so I found him more on the side of absurdly mad than disturbing. The dialog consisted of Dr. Heiter's insanely dictating orders, which were mostly followed by muffled screams and the Asian guy (in front) swearing in non-compliance. This seemed to go on for about an hour. The very last scene was the only piece of the movie with any cinematic quality for me. - endingcredits

[Boner M]

5. The Kids are All Right

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Lord what a silly, shallow movie that was. Blech. Way to skirt any real examination of sexual roles, taboos, and politics, instead settling for melodrama and quirk. - Kurosawa Fan

[Boner M]

Jpg fail.

[elixir]

Even though I don't think it's that bad, the picture is excellent.

[Boner M]

4. Iron Man 2

http://www.simrad-yachting.com.au/upload/Simrad/Images/Products/AP35_front_large.jpg

It reminds me of Number 8's cartoon: how the first movie is nothing but Stark cleaning up his cooperate mess. This one is worse. I don't even know what's hanging by the thread here. And I hate how the movie is built around Jackson's character. I don't know who the hell Nick Fury is, and how his story is related to the movie. To say Rourke is underemployed is an understatement. I like the visual --- the electric whips -- but the showdown is an anti-climax more than anything. - lovejuice

[Derek]

Jpg fail.

I thought the film was above medicore and more subtitle than people give it credit for.

[Kurosawa Fan]

:cool:

Good on ya, Match Cut.

[B-side]

Seems agreeable so far.

[Boner M]

3. Kick-Ass

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_EE4XwPslovo/SWOrpHWoqqI/AAAAAAAAD0Y/yhCQEJro0KQ/s1600/Poochie.gif

I was surprised by the amount of set-ups for critical commentary and baffled by how often the opportunity to be at least moderately intelligent was squandered in favor of violence and cursing children. Terribly obnoxious. - Nick Glass

[B-side]

What a shitty movie.

[Boner M]

2. Clash of the Titans

http://galacticwatercooler.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/olivier-in-clash-of-the-titans.jpg

This was pretty goddamn brutal. I felt so embarrassed for Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes throughout the entire running time. At first I felt bad for Danny Huston having like one line in the entire movie because the dude's an amazing actor, but at least he left with more dignity intact. Keep Louis Letterier the fuck away from The Avengers. - hey it's ethan

[Boner M]

1. Alice in Wonderland

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11 pages of pre-release, 3 pages of post-release discussion. No wonder. There's not much to say. This thing is dreadful. It's absolutely no fun, the performances are scattershot and incomprehensible, the score is depressingly generic, and it's so inert and fucking lazy I can't believe it. The core idea--the theme that got discarded and mutated and glossed over--is not itself bad, but it's absolutely useless in this dull-ass, dreary, cheap fucking yawnathon.
- Sycophant

[Spinal]

Only saw two of these, thank goodness. Alice is certainly a worthy choice. Craptastic.

[Fezzik]

I am shocked that The Last Airbender isn't on this list. I guess enough people didn't see it.

[Boner M]

I'll post a few entries before I have a rest...

20. ANOTHER YEAR (Mike Leigh)

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MATCH: "The characters and their behaviour/attitudes is heightened, sure, and I can understand the criticisms of caricature, but I only see observation rather than chastisement of it. Especially regarding his characterisation of single vs. married life, which is why the film opens with a glimpse of a marriage quite the opposite of Tom and Gerri's. I think it's a film, like much of Leigh's work, that has a great deal of human mystery and no schematic presentation of its characters." - Boner, in reply to:

CUT: "A chatty, heavy-handed, insufferable, chamber drama-ish bore. I felt more sympathy for the actors than the rigid caricatures Leigh forces them to accentuate as if they aren't written as broad constructs in the first place. I didn't see Leigh's humanism within the film, just a torturous game of forced-compassion flip-flop. Beyond my shock that Leigh would recycle such an amateurish template as "the four seasons" (winter, of course, denoted with death and blue gel lens cap), all the personal dynamics are problematic. I have not seen a film since Gunner Palace that so rigorously creates villains--such pathetic, unsavory characters completely lacking self-awareness (you know, single people, very unlike boring and condescending married folks)--only to milk empathy from all their hungover depression and unfortunate situations. How obnoxious." - NickGlass

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My original intention for this project was to hold extensive actor's workshops, where some of Britain's finest performers would take hallucinogens and have long orgies in the backyards of nondescript British suburbs. Ultimately, what was to emerge was an epic story of SEX and DEATH and UGLY BRITISH PEOPLE, culminating in the camera assuming the perspective of a torrent of dirty water blasting through a kitchen sink faucet.

http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/2963/gasparnoe.jpg

[Boner M]

19. I AM LOVE (Luca Guadagnino)

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MATCH: "It takes a while to adjust to the rhythm of the film, but once you're there, it's a pretty enrapturing experience. The melodrama gets ratcheted a bit high near the end, but overall, this was one of the best directed pieces of 2010. Gorgeous stuff." - DavidSeven

CUT: "Man, this movie is a mess (messy succession issues, infidelity, lesbian daughters, cultural identity, globalization, Italy's fascist history, giant close-ups of pastries, Petulia-like flashbacks, gratuitous nods to Vertigo, Tilda rockin' it in haute couture), which is fine, except that it only starts to get interesting at the very end when things go totally bonkers. So nay." - baby doll

http://i.picasion.com/pic39/1c88f6d998a3a44910701418094f8c 5f.gif

I had always wanted to work with Tilda Swinton. Her alien beauty and total fearlessness would seem to be a perfect match for GASPARVISION™. Unfortunately, I learned that there were some things she would not do for her art, and using cooked prawns a masturbatory object – with a special camera equipped to the prawn for a POV shot – was a dealbreaker for her. A shame, since what was to emerge was an epic story of SEX and DEATH and ITALIAN HISTORY, complete with the opportunity to explore a woman’s vagina via the perspective of a dead crustacean.

http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/2963/gasparnoe.jpg

[elixir]

I saw a ton of empathy in Another Year and found myself able to relate to the single characters in the film and didn't see them as evil or villains at all. One of my favorites of the year, so I'm happy it made it on the list.

Not a huge fan of I Am Love, but I'm quite fond of Swinton's performance.

Great job on the presentation!

[Boner M]

18. GREENBERG (Noah Baumbach)

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MATCH: "...the film is undeniably affecting, it hits lots of raw nerves about aging and life, and its tableau becomes surprisingly rich by the end with the party scene's youth critique added on for size. I also very much appreciated that the film was not out to throw Greenberg under the bus by the end, and that his culpability is actually gradually, subtly sized down instead of piled on, which was surprising." - Bosco B Thug

CUT: "Still bummed this left such a bad taste in my mind grapes, because I went in fully expecting to love it. It's not so much a lack of humanity, it's more the miscalculated sense of pride it takes in its characters' pathetic behavior. There's no justification for the ostensibly happy ending Greenberg and Greta Gerwig get. You can have a film filled to the brim with as many angry or sad bastards as you want, but something about these characters and their actions felt like such the worst kind of dishonesty to me" - Adam

http://i.picasion.com/pic39/1c88f6d998a3a44910701418094f8c 5f.gif

A low-key character study? From VISIONARY, ICONOCLASTIC, BAD-BOY director Gaspar Noe? Of course not. Greenberg was originally a quintessential GASPARVISION project, telling story of man combating middle-age and the looming spectre of MORTALITY with copious DRUG use and SEX parties. I emailed the script onto Ben Stiller's agent, but his agent wasn't impressed. I then asked him 'Would this be too much of a cash grab? Is Ben after a more personal project, instead?'. I never heard back from Ben's agent, but the film ended up getting made under the same title by Noah Baumbach. Thief.

http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/2963/gasparnoe.jpg

[Spinal]

Gasparvision makes everything better!

[Boner M]

17. CARLOS (Olivier Assayas)

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MATCH: "...There's a one hour period (the Vienna scene) in Carlos that is just phenomenal. There is no need to cut into that. It is just about perfect. The problem is that if there aren't any cuts made to it, but then you trim off two and a half hours from the rest of the film, everything becomes uneven. So a sacrifice to a great scene must be made. A sidenote: I do think an entire film could be made around this scene and it would be fantastic, but that would go against what Assayas had set out to do with his film.
" - soitgoes

CUT: "nay, ultimately" - TripZone (no dissenting voices, otherwise)

http://i.picasion.com/pic39/1c88f6d998a3a44910701418094f8c 5f.gif

Politics are sooo boring! So when I jumped on board Carlos, I knew I wanted to amp up the parts of Carlos's life that mattered: ie, DRUGS and SEX with a bunch of hot international terrorist babes. Ultimately, we didn’t have the budget to pull off the GASPARVISION™ nod to the trip scene from 2001, in which we assume the perspective of a rocket being fired from a rocket launcher, that misses its target but travels around the world, surveying mankind in all its BEAUTY and UGLINESS, before turning into the perspective of a phallus. This symbolizes the interconnectedness of all things.

http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/2963/gasparnoe.jpg

[Watashi]

That image of Noe laughing is going to haunt my dreams.

[Boner M]

16. TRUE GRIT (Coens)

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MATCH: "Loved it. Not as much as No Country, but this felt incredibly real. I saw this shortly after I watched Robert Duvall on Charlie Rose say that the Coens presented Southerners in a silly way (based on, cough, Oh Brother), when I think the Coens present Southerners pretty damned honestly and frankly, with the obvious cartoonish exception in OB (which has its own kind of truth). I thought damn near everything in this movie rang true. I loved the unexpected characterizations of Brolin and Pepper (who I think had possibly the hardest job in the movie). Steinfeld was fantastic and dead-on. Bridges was as strong as I expected, as was the cinematography. The twilight race back to town was breathtaking. I didn't think anyone could capture an expanse like that with as much honesty. The panning shot after Brolin flies away to the open field and the impending combatants gave me such a chill and a thrill." - Wryan

CUT: "I thought it was meh. The characters didn't seem much more than their cantankerous-old-man-with-a-good-heart and feisty-young-girl cliches. The relationships and humor seemed easy and cute." - Melville

http://i.picasion.com/pic39/1c88f6d998a3a44910701418094f8c 5f.gif

Remakes are usually a big no-no for GASPARVISION™. But for a period piece about the perverse sexual relationship between a 14-year old girl and a one-eyed aging cowboy, how could I resist? In casting the film, I-

-actually, I promised never to talk about this project. Please ignore the last paragraph.

http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/2963/gasparnoe.jpg

[Bosco B Thug]

Most likable host yet. Gaspar should not change.

Yay for Greenberg and not enough people having seen The Last Airbender to hate on it properly.

[dreamdead]

Aw crap. No Secret Sunshine yet; that doesn't bode well.

Love the presentation, though.

[Eleven]

Pure eye-rape via the Three Frames blog:

http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/4602/tumblrlha3hlysg61qzc4ea.gif

[Mara]

So, I guess he really hates epileptics.

[MadMan]

Pure eye-rape via the Three Frames blog:

http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/4602/tumblrlha3hlysg61qzc4ea.gifMy God! Its full of Gaspar!

I liked Hot Tub Time Machine, Kick-Ass, and Iron Man 2. True Grit is the only one I've seen off of the Top 20 list so far.

[elixir]

Aw crap. No Secret Sunshine yet; that doesn't bode well.

Love the presentation, though.

Yeah, I voted for that too, but I think its weird release schedule (Cannes 2007, US 2010) might have hurt it. Or maybe other people don't like it as much? I see you've seen Poetry and gave it a high rating; I'm excited to see it.

[Ezee E]

So, I guess he really hates epileptics.
Have you seen the opening credits sequence Mara?

[Dukefrukem]

Things look good so far. TRUE GRIT is a bit high on the list. I mean, top 20 movies of the year? Really?

[Spinal]

I liked Hot Tub Time Machine, Kick-Ass, and Iron Man 2. True Grit is the only one I've seen off of the Top 20 list so far.

You liked every film you saw last year if I remember correctly.

[MadMan]

You liked every film you saw last year if I remember correctly.Eeeh! Sorry Spinal, wrong guess. Would you like to go for Double Jeopardy where the scores can really change?







Yes I couldn't resist loosely quoting Die Hard. Clash of the Titans, Robin Hood, to a certain extent The Karate Kid, although it bordered on that "Fresh/Rotten" line a lot....

[Spinal]

Eeeh! Sorry Spinal, wrong guess. Would you like to go for Double Jeopardy where the scores can really change?


OK, but you had a film as both a 'yay' and on your worst list. I'm remembering this correctly, am I not?

[dreamdead]

Yeah, I voted for that too, but I think its weird release schedule (Cannes 2007, US 2010) might have hurt it. Or maybe other people don't like it as much? I see you've seen Poetry and gave it a high rating; I'm excited to see it.

Yeah, the wife and I drove into Chicago to see Lee's latest last night. It's really quite good, and has the chance to grow in my esteem; right now, though, it seems to be Lee's weakest (I still haven't seen Green Fish)--which speaks more to his consistent quality as a filmmaker. It serves as a capstone for all of his themes thus far (judgment toward male privilege, sympathy toward the physically disabled, privileging the feminine, religious concern), and the ending packs quite a punch. Lovely and understated throughout, a great lead performance by Yoon Jeong-hee in reacting. The way Lee shifts between narrative and seemingly improvised moments is beguiling.

[MadMan]

OK, but you had a film as both a 'yay' and on your worst list. I'm remembering this correctly, am I not?That is true, but only because I wanted to submit 5 movies. Two of them were actually "yays," sure. I saw 30 movies last year, and I usually aim to avoid films that are clearly terrible due to money and time reasons.

[Henry Gale]

I liked Hot Tub Time Machine, Kick-Ass, and Iron Man 2.

Replace Kick-Ass with The A-Team and this is also what I am disappointed with on the Bottom 10. I don't understand where excessive hate could come from for the latter, seeing as it's a way better popcorn actioner than the majority what came out last summer and has a surprisingly good sense of humour, has a lot of well shot and structured action setpieces, all played very enjoyably laid back with only Rampage Jackson as a weak link in the cast.

Plus, I still feel that Iron Man 2 is a better movie than the original. Sure it's cluttered with a few more characters and plot threads than it may need, and it's brought down by some unneccesary Avengers seed-planting here and there, but pretty much everything else works better for me. Most of that may be due to Rockwell, Rourke and Cheadle (along with Johansson in her limited screentime) all helping to improve the dynamics between the characters from what the first film had in terms of villains and sidekicks with Jeff Bridges and Terrence Howard.

I also realize that I forgot to include a worst list next to my Top 10... So I guess I only have myself to (partly) blame. Where are The Expendables?! Prince of Persia!!?! The Last Airbender?!!??! (Etc.)

[Boner M]

15. SECRET SUNSHINE (Lee Chang-Dong)

http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/7576/secretsunshine.png

MATCH: "Great movie and devastating stuff indeed. When I saw it I left the theater and had to remain silent for a long time. I needed the time with myself. I must have walked fifty blocks straight, just smoking and thinking about it." - Grouchy

CUT: "Apart from the lead performance, I didn't find much to appreciate in Secret Sunshine. It felt more like a series of filmed anguish rather than a true character portrait. I really thought it would reach for philisophical heights after the superb prison scene, but the movie was only interested in showing emotional breakdown scenes after that. I can see why some would love the film, but maybe my want of a different movie spoiled that for me." - Lucky

http://i.picasion.com/pic39/1c88f6d998a3a44910701418094f8c 5f.gif

A portrait of GRIEF and RELIGIOUS FERVOUR, Secret Sunshine was a project desperately in need of GASPARVISION™. In it, we attempted to truly get inside the head of our subject's anguished mind. Unfortunately, the original actress died during the operation, in which a small camera was attached to her mind. As the saying goes; with great risk comes no reward.

http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/2963/gasparnoe.jpg

[elixir]

Yes! Nice job, guys.

That picture of Gaspar...can't get it out of my head.

[Boner M]

14. ALAMAR (Pedro Gonzalez-Rubio)

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MATCH: "the doco/fiction hybridity was so fully realised that it almost feels insulting to bestow the film with such academic terms as 'hybridity' or 'ontology' or whatever. It's a film built on simple but effective conceits, like the way the thin veneer of melancholic, photo-established backstory haunts the becalmed mood like the stormclouds on the horizon, how the film's unfeigned reality - posited as respite from the artifice of narrative - is both synonymous with and rendering palpable a harmony with nature. It reminds me a lot of Joe's Blissfully Yours (a perfect alternate title for Gonzalez-Rubio's film), where that film's pretense of narrative eventually gave way to a complete surrender to the forces of nature, allowing reality to works its magic on the fictional thread and expressing the psychology of its human subjects better than any dramatic tropes ever could... I think this is the kind of film that's liable to suffer from raised expectations and I'm prepared for an onslaught of more underwhelmed reactions, but I found it nothing short of elixir-like." - Boner

CUT: "...the rift between the documented and the staged exerts a certain tension that is never satisfactorily addressed or enveloped into the material, either emotionally or thematically, despite plenty of potential for doing so. Also, I know it's probably a moot point, but talk about short-changing the Mom. That epilogue with the preservation intertitles, the popping bubble, and the end credits laced with animated Blanquitas filling the screen felt off to me. " - Rowland

http://i.picasion.com/pic39/1c88f6d998a3a44910701418094f8c 5f.gif

A delicate, touching quasi-documentary film about the relationship between a young boy and his divorced father.... snooooooorrrre!!! Rarely has a premise been in greater need of GASPARVISION™ to save it from dullness! In my hands, Alamar was to tell the story of a father and son's seaside trip from the perspective of a seagull. Mixed in with this was to be the story of the wife's immersion in the world of SEX and DRUGS to heal her emotional wounds. I eventually jettisoned the project, due to being stumped as to where a graphic childbirth scene was to take place.

http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/2963/gasparnoe.jpg[/QUOTE]

[B-side]

Yes! Nice job, guys.

That picture of Gaspar...can't get it out of my head.

http://i52.tinypic.com/25u5sms.jpg
http://i52.tinypic.com/6jdkbt.jpg
http://i55.tinypic.com/311kmm8.jpg
http://i56.tinypic.com/152dfsj.jpg

[elixir]

Brightside. NO. :P

And Alamar, woo hoo! LOVE that movie.

And why am I not even surprised by this guy's appearance? It seems to fit.

[Boner M]

13. A PROPHET (Jacques Audiard)

http://img197.imageshack.us/img197/2801/prophetzl.png

MATCH: "This is an excellent prison thriller that's as well directed as films can get. Everything from the performances to the inspired visual storytelling makes this a very intimate, visceral experience. It doesn't try to shock its audience and instead relies on its clever story and unexpected twists to keep the attention. It's not an ordinary film by any stretch of the imagination. It's part genre thriller, part coming-of-age story, and part cynical examination of the failure of prisons to rehabilitate their inmates. One of the finest of its year." - Grouchy

CUT: "Kind of dull and repetitive. Not one of the better French spiritual prison films." - Melville

http://i.picasion.com/pic39/1c88f6d998a3a44910701418094f8c 5f.gif

A prison story filled with CRIME, SEX, DRUGS, HALLUCINATIONS, and VIOLENCE. You would think A Prophet would be a perfect project for me to take on. Unfortunately, despite expressing initial interest, GASPARVISION™ doesn't do biopics, and certainly not auto-biopics. A shame, since that deer scene was going to be a doozy in my hands - it was to last 3 hours, filmed from the perspective of the animal spinning in flight.

http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/2963/gasparnoe.jpg

[baby doll]

After all these surprises in the top twenty, the top ten are just going to suck that much harder.

[Boner M]

12. LET ME IN (Matt Reeves)

http://img847.imageshack.us/img847/8008/letmein.png

MATCH: "It's hard to really put either this or the original above the other in terms of quality for me. Reeves has really molded something great and unique with its own tone and identity here. With the general atmosphere it builds (from the American 80s setting, to Giacchino's score to the look DP Greig Fraser has helped given it) as well as the performances allowing each character to be something new here; all of it justifies itself as a welcome remake many times over... Let The Right One In was my #2 of 2008, which puts in nicely in the mix of my favourite films of the previous decade. I like Let Me In just about as much, so in its own way, it's in a similar place for me right now for 2010. I was very impressed." - Henry Gale

CUT: "By American horror movie standards of the past 5 years, it's a great movie, but having seen the original, it never struck me as a necessary movie. I was dissapointed with just how unsurprising and redundant it ultimately felt. I was thinking of the Psycho remake - which I've never seen - and how much flak that one got for being a shot-by-shot remake. Let Me In isn't quite such a copycat I guess, but it sure felt awfully, shamelessly similar. Nevertheless, I was engaged enough and understand that those who missed the original may get a lot more out of this than me." - Morris Schæffer

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As I have said, GASPARVISION™ does not favor remakes. But after reading the script, I immediately thought "I have to do this". I called my producer, and within five minutes, my lawyer came to my door, and told me it's best that I didn't take on a love story between two pre-pubescent children. A shame, because what was to emerge was a story of SE-

Wait a sec. Someone's at the door.

*2 minutes later*

My lawyer is telling me to end this story here. I hate it when that happens!

http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/2963/gasparnoe.jpg

[Rowland]

For the record, I still liked Alamar okay, just found it a bit awkward and forced at points.

[B-side]

"12. LET ME IN Jacques Audiard)"

Must be an alternate title.

[Boner M]

11. TOY STORY 3 (Lee Unkrich)

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MATCH: "I like how by now, the bond between the toy's owner, or "person," and the toy itself has practically become a religious belief. Woody is the evangelical, preaching to the lost and crying out for faith and a little courage to still believe they are loved and wanted. Like the last film, it is mostly a crisis of faith featuring a gruff formerly "abandoned" toy who has rebelled and cast off those old beliefs, now bitter and angry (his final comeuppance is being crucified on the front of a truck). Truth be told, much of this film does feel a little familiar, particularly elements from the last film. I also wasn't too crazy about "Spanish Buzz" which was a funny idea but should have been a throwaway, not some drawn-out stereotype which became less funny by the second. Not sure I really understand the dislike that seems to happen every time for Randy Newman's work, which again I found very complementary to the piece (individually yeah, the songs are weak, but they fit so well). These films are pretty much sappy nostalgia, but Pixar treats the bond and crisis with the utmost sincerity and poignancy. It would greatly concern me that anyone can watch those last few minutes and not feel the urge to cry at least a little. Also, props must go to Ned Beatty's work as Lotso. Stellar voice-acting." - Raiders

CUT: "This kind of felt like a generic Hollywood sequel. Pretty dull even. The story was certainly nothing special. What makes this the holy grail? Don't call this backlash -- I compared it directly to Cloudy, and that film was more inventive, funnier, just as touching, and overall just a better time. I was surprised by how little imagination Toy Story 3 had." - DavidSeven

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The Toy Story 3 saga represents the most devastating blow to GASPARVISION™. Pixar gave me free reign to do anything. "Anything?", I asked. "ANYTHING", they replied. This exhange continued, with the same words but different phrasing, another 20 times over. They gave me $300 million, and I was left to my own devices. I fucked off to a studio in Switzerland for 5 years, and created what was to be the most radical Hollywood sequel ever made. When I presented them with the final product, I was devastated, but not surprised with their reaction.

I did, after all, take liberal approach to the word 'toy', for starters.

http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/2963/gasparnoe.jpg

[Raiders]

Wow. Gaspar has gotten pretty awful at this.

[eternity]

I didn't know Toy Story 3 was a remake. Fascinating.

[B-side]

These Gasparvision digressions are brilliant, Boner.

[Boner M]

Wow. Gaspar has gotten pretty awful at this.

These Gasparvision digressions are brilliant
Polarisation. The fuel to the vehicle that is...

http://i.picasion.com/pic39/1c88f6d998a3a44910701418094f8c 5f.gif

EDIT: Top 10 starts later.

[B-side]

Haters gonna hate, T-Bone.

[Boner M]

Hmm, I only just realised that Raiders was referring to my quote-flub. Please do not hold Gaspar accountable to anything other than GASPARVISION™.

[MadMan]

The Gaspar quotes at the end of the entries are hilarious.

And while I didn't see A-Team, I'm skeptical that its one of the worst movies of the year. Sure I didn't see enough shitty movies, but Clash of the Titans comes to mind when I think of crap that shouldn't have been released.

A Prophet though-that was a good movie. Well made, and the main actor is going places. Maybe.

[Boner M]

10. MOTHER (Bong Joon-Ho)

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MATCH: "Fact: No film this year will have a better ending than Bong's Mother." - Raiders

CUT: "I probably owe it another chance, but I found Mother underwhelming compared to Bong's previous two. Kim Hye-ja is awesome, without a doubt, and there a couple great scenes, but overall it felt like a weaker effort. I was distracted by the aspect ratio, too, which probably sounds weird. I don't think I care for how Bong frames in widescreen." - Stay Puft

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A story about a mother's devotion to her son + GASPARVISION™... You do the math! Unfortunately, the French producers did, and forbade me from making this film as a story of a mother and son's INCESTUOUS bond, and the lengths that the mother goes to bail her son out of jail to have more sex with him. Also, my casting choices of Catherine Deneuve and Justin Bieber were met with repulsion by both actors. WIMPS!

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[Boner M]

9. THE GHOST WRITER (Roman Polanski)

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MATCH: "What a truly remarkable thriller this is. Clever, unpredictable, mature, perfectly paced. Little happens, but a sense of unease was constantly present and Polanski's craft was just mesmerizing. Even when the resolution left me with a slight feeling of "that's it!?" - and bear in mind I'm still pondering whether that is truly it - Polanski, accompanied by masterful music from Desplats, captures the most dramatic sequence you'll ever see of a piece of paper exchaning hands. The movie is so measured, deliberately devoid of big shocks, that when they arrived - and I would say there were two in total - they practically felt unearned, unnecessary. The surprises don't end there. We've got Jim Belushi.....bald! And Eli Wallach......alive!! And some of the most evocative, atmospheric beach scenes ever committed to film." - Morris Schæffer

CUT: "Dramatically, the film was a flatline and while Polanski still shows his talent in creating a somewhat compelling atmosphere, there was surprisingly little tension. The Bush/Blair parallels felt rather hackneyed and were never presented with much depth or conviction and the supposed bombshell was both underwhelming and portrayed with an unearned sense of grandiosity. The whole thing was a much ado about nothing, not particularly bad per se, just more bland than I'm accustomed to from Polanski. It's definitely the weakest film I've seen from him so far." - Derek

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My original intention for this film was to have a camera attached to that piece of paper, and watch it be passed around through a crowd for 4 hours. Upon watching the rushes for the film, I decided the scene was too static, and not as mind-blowing an example of GASPARVISION™ as I'd expected. So I added high-power strobe lights to the room and reshot the scene. The cast and crew present were then struck with seizures and had to be hospitalised, and the production was closed. Really should've shot that scene last, I guess.

http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/2963/gasparnoe.jpg

[Boner M]

8. EVERYONE ELSE (Maren Ade)

http://img850.imageshack.us/img850/4899/everyoneelse.png

MATCH: "It's a seemingly slight subject on paper - the perils of doggedly basing your relationships on superficial unconventionalities of behaviour and interaction - but the genius of Maren Ade's screenplay lies in its incisive specificity. It's for this reason that the film doesn't feel Rohmer-esque or Woody Allen-esque or anything-esque, but rather zeroes in on an aspect of human connection that feels fresh to cinematic representation. In fact, saying it's about the 'perils' of a certain kind of behaviour sounds hopelessly reductive. More generally, it's about the difficulties for two people to establish a solid basis or language for their connection, and in turns asks whether a successful relationship needs - or can survive - this sort of reflection. Ade doesn't have her actors conform to a thesis, however; the theme of the film is conveyed throughout even the slightest gestures as much as the writing." - Boner

CUT: "Maybe I'm going through a phase where I'm just not that interested in psychologically driven stories (lately I've had a serious hankering for the brute materialism of a Bruno Dumont), but this seemed to me keenly observed to a fault. Even when the class issues belatedly come into the film, the focus is so much on these particular people that it takes some serious mental contortions to read it as any kind of larger statement about what's going on in EU generally right now--unless we're supposed to conclude that every white German yuppie at heart really just wants a girl more like everyone else. Sure, there were a couple moments where I was like, "Yeah, that's happened to me," but so what? I expect more from cinema than just a mechanical reproduction of real life." - baby doll

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As I have explained before, GASPARVISION™ does not favor the naturalisic and/or low-key. Also, I have never been in a relationship that went far beyond being hanged from a woman's ceiling by my nipples, whilst she sodomised me with a baseball bat strap-on. I tried to do justice to the project, but the final product still ended as a sci-fi farce about a UFO that doubles as an alien swinger's club. It has yet to be screened anywhere.

http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/2963/gasparnoe.jpg

[Boner M]

7. SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD (Edgar Wright)

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MATCH: "Went in never having read the source material or knowing much about it beyond the high concept idea. I walked out with a huge smile. The film has such a relentless, infectious energy that its hard not to get sucked into it. Even Cera seems more 'alive' than usual - I've always found him flat before but he really seemed to have more personality as Scott than I've ever seen before. Lots of laughs, lots of great geeky references that I appreciated, good performances. I was incredibly entertained, and that's all I was hoping for. It's also supplied us with some great lines for when we want to pull out random movie quotes. And I agree with a previous post that said the best gag was Scott jumping out the window. Even the way that scene was framed and shot was hilarious." - Fezzik

CUT: "This movie uses up all its energy and comedy in the first half, and reuses it all in the second half, and it just becomes tiresome, no matter how "unique" it is. I had a huge sigh of relief when the result of the Nega Scott battle ended because I just didn't want to see another one again. I also feel like this is something that would only work for those born in the 80's-early 90's, but that's besides the point." - Ezee E

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I actually was the director of this film, and you can the see the GASPARVISION™ on display throughout. But I insisted to have my name removed after poor test screenings led to demands that the ending be reshot. What was originally to happen was that Cera is rejected by both Knives and Ramona, and kills himself via auto-erotic asphyxiation. Then his soul escapes and travels around North America, eventually landing in the body of Jesse Eisenberg. Americans just can't handle an honest portrait of young adult life, apparently.

http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/2963/gasparnoe.jpg

[Boner M]

6. THE SOCIAL NETWORK (David Fincher)

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MATCH: "Setting aside the greatest hits biopic-ish strokes of the narrative, it's really quite a clever job of positioning the story of the founding of facebook as a metaphor for Sorkin's take on the greater implications of social media. Like I said before - The first scene has Zuckerberg speaking face to face with his girlfriend in a warmly-lit bar full of people. The final scene has Zuckerberg sitting alone in a darkened law office, 3000 miles away from that girl, periodically refreshing a page to see if she'll accept his request to become his virtual friend." - Adam

CUT: "It saddens me that this film is being hailed as an example of exceptional cinema. This is not drama. It's elevated trivia. I worried early on that it would resemble a conventional biopic. It's worse. I'll take overwrought emotion any day over endless scenes of characters racing through their lines as if they're speedreading from a Newsweek article. We got this many hits! We've got this many members! We're worth this much! OMG, the internet is a'sploding! The film has a modicum of artistry in terms of solid performances, decent editing and the occasional zinger. I particularly liked the score. But, it is ultimately an utterly empty experience, predictable and dull. Sort of like a special edition of VH1's I Love the Facebook, it's mildly amusing to say, hey, I lived through that. But beyond staging the backstage bickering, of what use is this film other than to point out the most trite conclusion that can be reached from all this? -- that the mastermind of the social network is himself antisocial. The writing team of Aaron Sorkin and Captain Obvious have not created a lasting work. They've created an opportunistic one." - Spinal

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It was very difficult to make the story of Facebook's origins interesting, but I ultimately decided to approach it by sticking with the cold, hard facts…however mundane they may be. That is why the films opens in outer space, as Mark Zuckerberg hurtles toward Earth in a giant, flaming womb. He crashlands into Harvard, and despite rudimentary social skills and a severe lack of swag, he manages to work his way up the social ladder using his vast interwebz skills. From thereon, we are presented with an epic story of SEX and DEATH and TECHNOLOGY, culminating in the camera assuming the perspective of a sidebar ad for horny singles.

http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/2963/gasparnoe.jpg

[Boner M]

Top 5 tomorrow.

[Ezee E]

I'll predict...

1. Black Swan
2. Inception
3. Dogtooth
4. Blue Valentine
5. Exit Through the Gift Shop

Funny that these five end up as the same best pic nominees.

[Bosco B Thug]

http://i.picasion.com/pic39/1c88f6d998a3a44910701418094f8c 5f.gif

My original intention for this film was to have a camera attached to that piece of paper, and watch it be passed around through a crowd for 4 hours. :lol: Fave.

[B-side]

I ultimately decided to approach it by sticking with the cold, hard facts…however mundane they may be. That is why the films opens in outer space, as Mark Zuckerberg hurtles toward Earth in a giant, flaming womb.

:lol:

I can't get over the "assume the perspective" bits. Hilarious stuff.

[Stay Puft]

:lol:

I can't get over the "assume the perspective" bits. Hilarious stuff.

My favorite so far is the perspective of the deer spinning for three hours in A Prophet.

Awesome presentaton, and not a bad list at all so far, either.

[kopello]

it was to last 3 hours, filmed from the perspective of the animal spinning in flight.

:lol:

Awesome job, having Gaspar Noe as the host has proven to be hilarious so far.

[Ivan Drago]

Yep. As much as I love the guy as a filmmaker, him being the host has been hysterical so far.

[Spinal]

And yet, his film doesn't seem to be making the list. Bah.

[Boner M]

5. EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP (Banksy)

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MATCH: "I haven't heard a peep from anyone regarding the Banksy documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop. Isn't F for Fake a favorite around these parts? Plausible comparisons could be made; it's very fascinating and clever--even if targeting the art world is shooting-fish-in-a-barrel at this point. Nonetheless, my theater experience with it was great, since a loud-mouthed, inane street art "expert" sitting behind me during the film pretty much validated Banksy's acerbic thesis on the art world." - NickGlass

CUT: "I didn't find the subject matter interesting and I couldn't stand any of the people." - endingcredits

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When that crazy Frenchman Thierry Guetta approached me to do a documentary about GASPARVISION™, I was very excited. This was to be the definitive documentary about the filmmaking REVOLUTION I started! But when he presented me with the raw footage, culled from 5 years of observation around our film sets and production offices, I was deeply disappointed. But instead of yelling at him "What is with this observational, cinema verite nonsense!?", I encouraged him to apply his skills for unobtrusive filmmaking to the street art movement instead, and the world is better for it.

http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/2963/gasparnoe.jpg

[Boner M]

4. BLUE VALENTINE (Derek Cianfrance)

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MATCH: "Blue Valentine rarely strays from the expected, but the details are conveyed with such unfaltering honesty as to make this a wholly unique experience. In retrospect, this is a pretty obvious film, but as an in-the-moment experience, it's captivating and a film that draws you into the details of human action and inaction. I forgive Derek Cianfrance for his Dardenne aping because Blue Valentine is a rare film that actually earns its verite style. In some combination of direction, writing, and performance, the film manages to convey dramatically engrossing honesty, and it would only be a shame to distract from that with the artificiality of stylized filmmaking. Yet this is clearly more than point-and-shoot direction. The opening shot and closing shot/credits are particularly mesmerizing cinematic moments... One of the year's best." - DavidSeven

CUT: "Dean struck me as a more fully realized character and thus more sympathetic, which proves increasingly problematic as the film progresses and certain key bits of information are revealed, while the fragmented structure sometimes felt more like a contrivance than an expressive poetic device, and I wasn't too fond of the Grizzly Bear score or the filmmaker's overreliance on ECU handheld cinematography, which sometimes gives it the feel of an actor's workshop wallowing in indie misery..." - Rowland

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OK, I'll admit it: I had no part in this film - aside from the 'future room' scenes, which were filmed in my office.

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[Boner M]

3. BLACK SWAN (Darren Aronofsky)

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MATCH: "This was a great DePalma/Lynch/Polanski style thang. Or I guess I could just say a great mash-up of the surreal mindfuckery of Requiem with the athletic determination of The Wrestler. The first hour I was a little eh, but like Requiem, once it gets going, it never lets up, and by the end you are positively shaken with emotion. And, Jesus, Portman deserves the accolades." - Pop Trash

CUT: "During the finale, I couldn't help but think about how it compared unfavorably with Repo! The Genetic Opera. That film's last scene had guts that this one lacked, flawed though it was. Despite the title, this film is ironically more like the white swan than the black swan, too timid, unable to truly let loose, emotionally frigid." - Spinal

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When I approach Natalie Portman about the idea of shooting this film entirely in a GASPARVISION™ sub-style known as MENSTRUALVISION™, she was frightened and immediately rejected the project. Fortunately, I managed to film her reaction to my proposition, and 90% of her performance from Black Swan was comprised of insert shots, from the footage of her reaction to my original idea.

http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/2963/gasparnoe.jpg

[Spinal]

When I approach Natalie Portman about the idea of shooting this film entirely in a GASPARVISION™ sub-style known as MENSTRUALVISION™, she was frightened and immediately rejected the project. Fortunately, I managed to film her reaction to my proposition, and 90% of her performance from Black Swan was comprised of insert shots, from the footage of her reaction to my original idea.

Best one yet.

[Boner M]

2. DOGTOOTH (Yorgos Lanthimos)

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MATCH: "I found the film to be very hypnotizing both tonally and visually. I was engrossed in the story from beginning to end. One of my faves of last year for sure. Whoever was the first person on this website to see it and recommend it to us needs to be commended." - Ivan Drago

CUT: "I'm not sure I got a lot more out of the whole 90 minutes than I did out of the first 15. Many of the later scenes are audacious enough to be sufficiently stimulating, but I never felt the film really escaped its initial staginess. It just never really feels organic; never removes its sheen of phoniness." - DavidSeven

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This film is, in fact, a story of my upbringing. However, it was too close to home for me to film despite a few attempts, so I passed it onto my dear friend Yorgos.

http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/2963/gasparnoe.jpg

[Spinal]

Yes! I knew MacGruber would be #1!

[B-side]

Oh, Christ, really? Inception at #1?

[Boner M]

Oooonnnnnnneee

Oooonnnnnnneee

Oooonnnnnnneee

1. INCEPTION (Christopher Nolan)

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MATCH: "This is a perfect film. What Nolan has done here in terms of writing and directing is extraordinary. It's like watching multiple films at once and having the full weight of it hit you. Extraordinary as an action film. Extraordinary as a mindbender. This hit me deep. How nice to see DiCaprio in a role that truly works for him. How nice to discover that Ellen Page can actually be quite engaging and likable. I'm really quite speechless right now." -Spinal

CUT: "The film is undoubtedly internally consistent, but for me, that's the problem. It was just all so dull and with the exception of the zero-gravity stunt, it was very rote cinema. I mean, honestly, that icy-level was a mediocre-at-best action/suspense film with a rather poorly-staged shootout and little to no sense of geographical layout. I mean, why the hell would someone even design that... why the heck is the vault so freakin' far away?... Yes, the overall story, the large points, are ambitious and well thought-out. And everything fits pretty well, leaves you thinking and questioning... but the individual pieces to me are just not very interesting or compelling." - Raiders

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This was the film I was given free reign to make after Enter the Void outgrossed Avatar as the number 1 film of all time. In it, Leonardo Dicaprio stars as a thief skilled in the art of inception, a process in which the target is captured, sodomised, and then has disturbing flashbacks to the rape he/she unconsciously experienced. The film was intended to be 17 hours long, which much of the duration devoted to GASPARVISION™-style hallucination scenes from the POV of the traumatised victims. The spinning top ending was included, but stripped of its thematic significance - it was merely a chance to equip a small camera to its tip and watch the ceiling turn into a psychedelic blur. For 5 hours.

http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/2963/gasparnoe.jpg

[Winston*]

Oh, Christ, really? Inception at #1?
Yeah, I mean, geez, can you believe these morons? Like, zwuh.

[Ezee E]

Curious how these point totals came out, since Black Swan had 9 #1s, and Dogtooth only had 2.

[B-side]

Yeah, I mean, geez, can you believe these morons? Like, zwuh.

I'm not sure why you wanna make my offhand remark out to be a personal attack on anyone, because it isn't. We can turn this into a big fight where I'm forced to qualify my remark needlessly, but I'd rather not. I guess I forgot those darned smilies again, and I'm usually so good at that.

[Boner M]

Curious how these point totals came out, since Black Swan had 9 #1s, and Dogtooth only had 2.
It was 15 for #1, 14 for #2, etc. Swan had the most #1's, but it was also pretty divisive here; more so than Dogtooth, at least.

Don't have the file w/ the full results on me, but I'll post the full list later.

Poor Gaspar: EtV made #21.

[baby doll]

Even though I really don't have time to bitch...

1. Inception (Christopher Nolan): Christopher Nolan is a terrible director, his dialogue stinks, and none of the actors give good performances--even the dude from Tampopo.

2. Dogtooth (Yorgos Lanthimos): According to the 2010 New Release Database, 56 people here saw Inception and 45 saw Black Swan. This film, which had neither a huge pre-release publicity campaign nor a big theatrical roll-out was seen by 29 people (pretty good for a subtitled movie). Therefore, this movie is the actual winner.

3. Black Swan (Darren Aronofsky): Darren Aronofsky isn't a terrible director (I still like Pi), but this is a terribly directed movie that's as hopelessly addicted to J-horror tropes as it is to clichés about the ballet world. An unintentional camp fiasco.

4. Blue Valentine (Derek Cianfrance): Pretty good breakup movie, I'm just not that keen on it personally.

5. Exit Through the Gift Shop (Banksy): I voted for this.

6. The Social Network (David Fincher): Most overrated director ever?

7. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (Edgar Wright): Definitely funny, but like everyone says, it runs out of steam completely in the last reel. I suspect people are voting for this only because they haven't seen that many movies.

8. Everyone Else (Maren Ade): See quote.

9. The Ghost Writer (Roman Polanski): I voted for this.

10. Mother (Bong Joon-ho): I liked this when I saw it, but can barely recall it now.

11. Toy Story 3 (Lee Unkrich): Haven't seen it. Not really a Pixar fan.

12. Let Me In (Matt Reeves): Haven't seen it, but the original stunk.

13. Un prophète (Jacques Audiard): I voted for this.

14. Alamar (Pedro González-Rubio): I'm going to watch this tonight.

15. Milyang (Secret Sunshine) (Lee Chang-dong): I voted for this.

16. True Grit (Ethan and Joel Coen): It stinks.

17. Carlos (Olivier Assayas): I voted for this.

18. Greenberg (Noah Baumbach): I voted for this.

19. I Am Love (Luca Guadagnino): The quote says it all.

10. Another Year (Mike Leigh): Pretty good but minor Leigh. Still, I'd watch it again, which is more than I can say for the likes of Black Swan, Blue Valentine, I Am Love, Inception, Mother, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, The Social Network, and True Grit.

Biggest snubs: Vincere obviously. Also, Eccentricities of a Blonde Haired Girl, Hereafter, Les Herbes folles, and You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger. Clearly, you guys are all terrible ageists.

[Boner M]

Biggest snubs: Hereafter
Don't worry. Pretty sure it would've made the 'worst' list if there were more Eastwood completists around.

[Ezee E]

Four or five people saw Hereafter, and only you liked it. Stupid voting system. :)

If more people saw it, it would've been the #1 worst, so therefore, it's the real winner a la Dogtooth.

[baby doll]

Four or five people saw Hereafter, and only you liked it. Stupid voting system. :)Clearly my votes should carry more weight than other people's.

Actually, I didn't vote for Hereafter myself, seeing as I knew no one else would, but it does seem conspicuous that all these terrific geezer movies are getting snubbed, which maybe speaks to the demographics of the site: most of us around here just aren't that interested in Italian fascism, the afterlife, actual stalkers (as opposed to Facebook stalkers), the afterlife again (or rather, the nonexistence of such), and 19th century Portuguese literature.

[elixir]

Clearly my votes should carry more weight than other people's.

Actually, I didn't vote for Hereafter myself, seeing as I knew no one else would, but it does seem conspicuous that all these terrific geezer movies are getting snubbed, which maybe speaks to the demographics of the site: most of us around here just aren't that interested in Italian fascism, the afterlife, actual stalkers (as opposed to Facebook stalkers), the afterlife again (or rather, the nonexistence of such), and 19th century Portuguese literature.

Please tell me that paragraph is a joke. Also, Another Year is a geezer movie that made it onto the list (all old people).

[megladon8]

Cool awards.

Still haven't seen much from 2010. I'm really interested in seeing Dogtooth.

[baby doll]

Please tell me that paragraph is a joke. Also, Another Year is a geezer movie that made it onto the list (all old people).Which paragraph? That my votes should carry more weight than other people's, or that the geezers are getting snubbed because the young'ins around here have different concerns than guys in their seventies?

[elixir]

Which paragraph? That my votes should carry more weight than other people's, or that the geezers are getting snubbed because the young'ins around here have different concerns than guys in their seventies?

One is a sentence and one is a paragraph. The latter. I am assuming you aren't being serious, but I'm not sure...

[megladon8]

I have no problem with Inception winning.

It's certainly one of the best films I saw in 2010, though like I just said, I haven't seen nearly enough.

Christopher Nolan sure knows how to make 'em.

[baby doll]

One is a sentence and one is a paragraph. The latter. I am assuming you aren't being serious, but I'm not sure...It's a hypothesis I was venturing.

[Boner M]

Actually baby doll's right about the list being conspicuously youthful. Inception's about the desire to live forever, Dogtooth features domineering parents as villains, Black Swan has another domineering parent as a villain, Blue Valentine and Everyone Else's marrieds are way younger than the subjects of most marital breakdown movies, Exit's about a counter-cultural movement, The Social Network & Scott Pilgrim = self-explanatory... the top 8's a virtual fountain of youth.

[baby doll]

Christopher Nolan sure knows how to make 'em.Does he?

[megladon8]

Does he?


Yes, he does.

[elixir]

It's a hypothesis I was venturing.

Okay, but then I can say you're not interested in dreams because you disliked Inception and don't care about romantic relationships because of your indifference to Everyone Else and Blue Valentine.

It's just extremely flimsy...hypothesizing.

The more supportive hypothesis, I think, is simply that Inception was seen by more people. That's not the only thing, but how big of an audience a film reaches is obviously going to have a big impact on how these films rank.

[Boner M]

MATCH: "Christopher Nolan sure knows how to make 'em." - megladon

CUT: "Christopher Nolan is a terrible director" - baby doll

[baby doll]

Yes, he does.Sure about that?

[megladon8]

http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/4046/trollwebk.jpg

[baby doll]

But seriously, what is Nolan doing as a director (as opposed to a screenwriter or even an editor) that's so impressive?

[megladon8]

But seriously, what is Nolan doing as a director (as opposed to a screenwriter or even an editor) that's so impressive?


Stuff.

[Sycophant]

This is Match Cut.

[Ezee E]

Actually baby doll's right about the list being conspicuously youthful. Inception's about the desire to live forever, Dogtooth features domineering parents as villains, Black Swan has another domineering parent as a villain, Blue Valentine and Everyone Else's marrieds are way younger than the subjects of most marital breakdown movies, Exit's about a counter-cultural movement, The Social Network & Scott Pilgrim = self-explanatory... the top 8's a virtual fountain of youth.

Makes sense though. I'd say the average age is about 24-27. The one movie that didn't get seen that surprises me might be 127 Hours in this case. I still blame horrible marketing on it for not being successful in the theaters.

Shutter Island not making it is also surprising considering it was the second-most seen movie by the site. Winter's Bone and The Town are the two others that didn't make it that were widely seen.

[B-side]

But seriously, what is Nolan doing as a director (as opposed to a screenwriter or even an editor) that's so impressive?

I'd like to know myself.

[Ivan Drago]

MATCH: "I found the film to be very hypnotizing both tonally and visually. I was engrossed in the story from beginning to end. One of my faves of last year for sure. Whoever was the first person on this website to see it and recommend it to us needs to be commended." - Ivan Drago

:)

But...I also see what you did there.

[MadMan]

baby doll has become a sorry caricature, a true parody of himself, trying to piss people off but horribly failing in the process. The joke has gone old, folks. Nothing left to see, let's all go home.

The Gaspar Noe fake quotes were hilarious, and very well done. I don't really care about what got #1, although yes I think Inception is a great movie.

[Boner M]

baby doll has become a sorry caricature, a true parody of himself, trying to piss people off but horribly failing in the process. The joke has gone old, folks. Nothing left to see, let's all go home.
C'mon, dude. Nolan is not exactly a sacred cow, and his shortcomings as a director are well known (can you imagine what The Social Network, for instance, would be like if he had directed it?), and I'm sure baby doll is genuinely curious as to what people see in him.

[Pop Trash]

(can you imagine what The Social Network, for instance, would be like if he had directed it?)

I imagine it would probably be pretty good? Que no?

[Pop Trash]

Makes sense though. I'd say the average age is about 24-27. The one movie that didn't get seen that surprises me might be 127 Hours in this case. I still blame horrible marketing on it for not being successful in the theaters.

Shutter Island not making it is also surprising considering it was the second-most seen movie by the site. Winter's Bone and The Town are the two others that didn't make it that were widely seen.

Or that 127 Hours and Shutter Island weren't all that good. Winter's Bone got beat up a lot as well, but I loved it.

[Ezee E]

I figure Nolan's take on Social Network would be about the same actually. Maybe a little more use on times...

[Ezee E]

Or that 127 Hours and Shutter Island weren't all that good. Winter's Bone got beat up a lot as well, but I loved it.
Still, Shutter Island was liked by more people then total viewers for a good amount of movies.

Winter's Bone did certainly get beat up in the second half of the year. I like it, but I think its faults caught up with it.

Just saying that power in numbers basically wins in. Hence the top winners here and the Matchies. Only makes sense.

[Boner M]

Alright, here's the complete list as promised:

1. Inception - 272
2. Dogtooth – 246
3. Black Swan – 243
4. Blue Valentine – 232
5. Exit Through the Gift Shop – 219
6. The Social Network - 203
7. Scott Pilgrim vs the World – 158
8. Everyone Else – 151
9. The Ghost Writer – 146
10. Mother – 141
11. Toy Story 3 - 114
12. Let Me In – 106
13. A Prophet - 96
14. Alamar – 93
15. Secret Sunshine - 92
16. True Grit - 91
17. Carlos – 91
18. Greenberg – 86
19. I Am Love - 80
20. Another Year – 79
21. Enter The Void – 76
22. Wild Grass – 75
23. Tangled - 73
24. Shutter Island – 71
25. The Illusionist – 58
26. Somewhere - 52
27. The American – 49
28. Winter's Bone – 45
29. How to Train Your Dragon - 43
30. Hadewijch – 39
31. I'm Still Here (Affleck) - 39
32. White Material – 38
33. Never Let Me Go - 36
34. Catfish (Joost/Schulman) – 35
35. TRON: Legacy – 33
36. The Town - 29
37. The Father of My Children – 29
38. The Oath – 26
39. 127 Hours – 26
40. Vincere - 26
41. The Strange Case of Angelica – 26
42. The King's Speech - 25
43. Amer – 23
44. October Country - 22
45. Eccentricities of a Blonde-haired Girl – 21
46. MacGruber – 21
47. Unstoppable - 21
48. Fish Tank – 21
49. Around a Small Mountain – 21
50. The Fighter - 19
51. Trash Humpers – 19
52. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 – 17
53. Green Zone – 17
54. Soul Kitchen – 15
55. Our Beloved Month of August - 15
56. Fair Game – 14
57. The Other Guys - 14
58. Act Da Fool – 12
59. The Kids Are Alright - 12
60. Idiots and Angels - 12
61. Four Lions - 11
62. Sweetgrass - 11
63. Rabbit Hole - 11
64. Megamind 
- 10
65. Valhalla Rising - 10
66. The Crazies - 10
67. The Misfortunates – 10
68. Ajami - 9
69. Cyrus - 9
70. Book of Eli – 9
71. MacGruber – 9
72. Centurion - 8
73. Inside Job – 8
74. Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work – 8
75. The Girl on the Train - 8
76. Lourdes – 8
77. The Good, the Bad, the Weird - 7
78. RED 
- 7
79. Ne Change Rien - 6
80. Animal Kingdom - 6
81. The Trotsky - 6
82. Kick-Ass - 6
83. Predators - 6
84. Last Train Home – 6
85. Women Without Men - 6
86. Piranha 3-D - 6

[Boner M]

And previous years, for comparison:

2007

1. No Country for Old Men
2. There Will Be Blood
3. Zodiac
4. I'm Not There
5. The Assassination of Jesse James…
6. Once
7. Ratatouille
8. Paprika
9. The Lives of Others
10. The Darjeeling Limited
11. Syndromes and a Century
12. Gone Baby Gone
13. The Host
=14. Into the Wild
=14. The Taste of Tea
16. Black Book
17. Hot Fuzz
18. Juno
19. Atonement
20. The Wayward Cloud

2008

1. WALL-E
2. The Dark Knight
3. Rachel Getting Married
4. Let the Right One In
5. The Wrestler
6. Burn After Reading
7. Synecdoche, New York
8. Speed Racer
9. Milk
10. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
11. Paranoid Park
12. Flight of the Red Balloon
13. Happy-Go-Lucky
14. The Fall
15. Vicky Cristina Barcelona
16. Still Life
17. Wendy and Lucy
18. My Winnipeg
19. Slumdog Millionaire
20. Gran Torino

2009

1. Inglourious Basterds
2. Serious Man
3. Two Lovers
4. Where the Wild Things Are
5. Adventureland
6. Moon
7. Up
8. Bright Star
9. The Hurt Locker
10. Tokyo Sonata
11. The White Ribbon
12. Summer Hours
13. Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans
14. Antichrist
15. Avatar
16. The Fantastic Mr. Fox
17. District 9
18. Coraline
19. Goodbye Solo
20. Public Enemies

[Rowland]

Wow, I forgot about Adventureland placing so high on the 2009 list. Also, it's kinda sad that there are three movies on that list that I liked more than anything I've seen from 2010.

[Derek]

Still, Shutter Island was liked by more people then total viewers for a good amount of movies.

But I don't think anyone aside from you was crazy enough to actually put it in their top 10. ;)

[Watashi]

But I don't think anyone aside from you was crazy enough to actually put it in their top 10. ;)
It was in my Top 10.

[dreamdead]

As Tears Go By (Wong, 1989) *

Yeah, that first film is quite dreadful in its adherence to mediocre action conventions. Still can't see what makes Bordwell so invested in defending its quality in countless Hong Kong posts and projects.

Meantime, I'm happy for Lee Chang-dong finally making a top 20, and impressed by Dogtooth's showing. Should get to that one in the next week. Not comfortable having Nolan as MC's filmmaker twice in five years, but ah well.

[Lazlo]

It was in my Top 10.

Mine too.

[MadMan]

C'mon, dude. Nolan is not exactly a sacred cow, and his shortcomings as a director are well known (can you imagine what The Social Network, for instance, would be like if he had directed it?), and I'm sure baby doll is genuinely curious as to what people see in him.Yes, Nolan has short comings (name me one director who doesn't) and he wouldn't have directed The Social Network because that's not his type of film. baby doll's post fails at being insulting, and for that matter, funny. Too bad. What I see in Nolan is a guy who directed Memento, and who gave us one of the most original movies of the year in Inception.

Yeah I also had Shutter Island in my Top 10. Looking back, I really dig my Top 10 for 2008 way more than the one I have currently for 2010, which is interesting considering I feel that 2008 was a weak year, too.

[megladon8]

I like Nolan because he makes movies that I find interesting, entertaining and rewatchable.

I like directors who make movies I like.

[Eleven]

I like Nolan because he makes movies that I find interesting, entertaining and rewatchable.

I like directors who make movies I like.

I like movies made by directors I like.

And I like directors whose names I've pulled out of a hat.

[megladon8]

I like things that I like.

And things that I dislike, I try to at least see if there's something in them to like.

Disliking just isn't as good feeling as liking.

[Derek]

It was in my Top 10.

Addendum, I think most people that yay'd the film liked it, but not nearly enough to include it in their top 10, hence explaining why it didn't make the top 21 nor get talked about here much at all since it came out.


Yeah, that first film is quite dreadful in its adherence to mediocre action conventions. Still can't see what makes Bordwell so invested in defending its quality in countless Hong Kong posts and projects.

Well, Bordwell occasionally picks some weird films to defend (Cloverfield comes to mind), but I could imagine him finding qualities in it that may have influenced HK films from that point on. Honestly though, it's a pretty ridiculous film and most of the touches that WKW would master in his subsequent films feel very hackneyed here.

[DavidSeven]

If you make good movies, you're probably a good director. If your movies are distinguishable from other people's movies, even better. The moral of the story is that shooting your movie like either a) Stanley Kubrick or b) John Cassavetes is not the end all, be all to what it means to direct film.

In Nolan, I'm guessing people see a director who has mastered the assembly of multi-layered narratives with a professionally pristine aesthetic that is uncompromising in its commitment to grounded realism. The design of his films is occasionally inspired and occasionally generic (sometimes both within the same film). I've meh'd as much of his stuff as I've genuinely liked. For a while, I didn't think he was capable of capturing compelling images, but he's changed my belief in that somewhat after his last two films. It might be interesting to see what results we'd see if he worked with DoP other than Pfister.

[B-side]

The moral of the story is that shooting your movie like either a) Stanley Kubrick or b) John Cassavetes is not the end all, be all to what it means to direct film.

I don't really know what this is supposed to mean, unless you're simply implying that there are more than two ways to direct a compelling film, in which case I'd say nobody's suggested there wasn't.


In Nolan, I'm guessing people see a director who has mastered the assembly of multi-layered narratives with a professionally pristine aesthetic that is uncompromising in its commitment to grounded realism. The design of his films is occasionally inspired and occasionally generic (sometimes both within the same film). I've meh'd as much of his stuff as I've genuinely liked. For a while, I didn't think he was capable of capturing compelling images, but he's changed my belief in that somewhat after his last two films. It might be interesting to see what results we'd see if he worked with DoP other than Pfister.

I don't buy the bold. I don't think he's "mastered" anything. "Pristine aesthetic" strikes me as more bad than good in Nolan's case. Kubrick often had a pristine aesthetic, but it served a general thematic and atmospheric purpose. Nolan's aesthetic is serviceable, sure, but that's about where it ends in terms of praise. It gets the job done and nothing more. It's vanilla ice cream. I'm not going to deny Nolan's status as an auteur with some genuinely good ideas and refreshing ambition, but I think his bigger critics -- and myself included -- just don't think he applies his ambition in an incredibly interesting fashion formally. I know it's been said a thousand times, but he does rely too much on exposition in dialogue, and I think that exposition is made all the more apparent when he doesn't have much going on with his mise-en-scene. Great directors can get away with some blunt exposition by at least accompanying it with a unique approach or memorable imagery. But I don't wanna seem too down on him because I've enjoyed all of his films to varying extents. I would love to see him try out a new DP, but that's obviously never going to happen.

[megladon8]

Nolan's films are loaded with memorable imagery.

[B-side]

Nolan's films are loaded with memorable imagery.

I'll give you a shot or two in The Dark Knight, and maybe a few scattered ones throughout the rest of his filmography, but I wouldn't consider them impeccably staged or mounted, really.

[megladon8]

I'll give you a shot or two in The Dark Knight, and maybe a few scattered ones throughout the rest of his filmography, but I wouldn't consider them impeccably staged or mounted, really.


I would.

His last 4 films, I could go through and take screencap after screencap and put the images on my walls like poster art.

[B-side]

I would.

His last 4 films, I could go through and take screencap after screencap and put the images on my walls like poster art.

I'm happy for ya, and I'ma let you finish, but I think Nolan needs to try small scale again and get intimate with his cinematic world like he used to.

[NickGlass]

Nolan's films are loaded with memorable imagery.

He never lingers on a shot long enough to actually form indelible images. I blame his editor for this, mostly, but he's still too impatient of a filmmaker.

[B-side]

He never lingers on a shot long enough to actually form indelible images. I blame his editor for this, mostly, but he's still too impatient of a filmmaker.

I'm gonna have to disagree with the premise here and defer to my love of Tony Scott, who I think makes plenty of memorable imagery despite such a notoriously short ASL.

[megladon8]

I don't see shot length as being necessary for an image to be memorable.

[B-side]

I don't see shot length as being necessary for an image to be memorable.

It's not, so we agree there.:D

[Ezee E]

Insomnia, his worst of movies, has some amazing imagery in the fog scene.

The Prestige has its share of fine photography, the best in the scenes involving Tesla.

Both Batmans too.

I guess I'd just have to agree to disagree here.

[megladon8]

It's not, so we agree there.:D


Yeah, and that's just it, it's all subjective.

I found several images in The Prestige to be incredibly powerful and evocative.

I've seen films where the image actually ends up losing power because the director lingered on it far too long.

[baby doll]

The thing about Nolan is that it seems like the writing, and to a lesser extent the editing, are the most creative stages in his process. However, when it comes to the actual shooting, while he knows how to aestheticize things (much of Inception looks the most expensive GQ spread ever), I don't think he has much of a feeling for film form. (Stylishness as opposed to style.) That's not to say that rapidly edited images are inherently inferior to deep focus sequence shots, but the guy's not exactly Sergei Eisenstein. (For one thing, in Soviet montage films, there are often inserts of hands and feet, whereas--notwithstanding the incomprehensible action sequences--Nolan's range is limited to over-the-shoulder shots of people explaining the plot to each other.) Occasionally he'll stumble onto a neat image, like the Joker seeming float upwards in The Dark Knight, but he can't resist explaining the thematic significance of the image with lots of boring talk. Sure, every filmmaker has their limitations, but his are fairly major ones (without the ability to write dialogue or tell stories through images, he's essentially George Lucas with cleverer SF premises and lots of noirish brooding), and since at base he's a rather traditional filmmaker, those limitations aren't compensated for by an original approach to film form (as in the case of Jacques Tati, who wasn't much of a storyteller) or any great strengths as a dramatist and director of actors (John Cassavetes has already been mentioned).

[eternity]

Yes, Nolan has short comings (name me one director who doesn't) and he wouldn't have directed The Social Network because that's not his type of film. baby doll's post fails at being insulting, and for that matter, funny. Too bad. What I see in Nolan is a guy who directed Memento, and who gave us one of the most original movies of the year in Inception.

Yeah I also had Shutter Island in my Top 10. Looking back, I really dig my Top 10 for 2008 way more than the one I have currently for 2010, which is interesting considering I feel that 2008 was a weak year, too.

How is The Social Network not a film that fits Nolan's "type" any more than it's a film that does not fit Fincher's "type"?

[DavidSeven]

I don't really know what this is supposed to mean, unless you're simply implying that there are more than two ways to direct a compelling film, in which case I'd say nobody's suggested there wasn't.

I think it's common in film criticism circles to identify "good directors" as being from one of two classes: 1) exceptional formalist in the vein of Kubrick, Welles, Scorsese, Coppola, maybe Spielberg and 2) guys who tried to subvert traditional formalism in some way or another by overtly focusing on a more specific aspect of filmmaking (here, I'm thinking of guys like Cassavetes, the cinema verite directors in Europe, and von Trier in some instances). It's pretty easy to see why; it becomes increasingly difficult to identify a director's contributions to a film if they don't fall squarely into one of those two camps because the films start to look like more collaborative efforts. My proposition is simply that the way someone moves a camera or uses lighting effects (or in turn subverts traditional ways of doing such) is not the only signifier of good direction. For example, there are a lot of elements in most Coen brothers films that aren't necessarily connected with the aesthetic of their films but nevertheless attributable to their direction. I'm thinking of things like timing, rhythm, and tone, and I think it's a mistake to attribute that completely to their writing or their editing because it involves everything from their use of music, choice of shot, and the inflection they instruct their actors to use, costuming decisions, etc. I think Nolan has carved out similarly distinguishable traits in his films (noirish brooding, as babydoll might say, and grounded realism, as I might say) and would consider him an auteur and more than capable director, even his selection of imagery sometimes leaves something to be desired (truer of his earlier films than latter, IMO).

[baby doll]

I think it's common in film criticism circles to identify "good directors" as being from one of two classes: 1) exceptional formalist in the vein of Kubrick, Welles, Scorsese, Coppola, maybe Spielberg and 2) guys who tried to subvert traditional formalism in some way or another by overtly focusing on a more specific aspect of filmmaking (here, I'm thinking of guys like Cassavetes, the cinema verite directors in Europe, and von Trier in some instances). It's pretty easy to see why; it becomes increasingly difficult to identify a director's contributions to a film if they don't fall squarely into one of those two camps because the films start to look like more collaborative efforts. My proposition is simply that the way someone moves a camera or uses lighting effects (or in turn subverts traditional ways of doing such) is not the only signifier of good direction. For example, there are a lot of elements in most Coen brothers films that aren't necessarily connected with the aesthetic of their films but nevertheless attributable to their direction. I'm thinking of things like timing, rhythm, and tone, and I think it's a mistake to attribute that completely to their writing or their editing because it involves everything from their use of music, choice of shot, and the inflection they instruct their actors to use, costuming decisions, etc. I think Nolan has carved out similarly distinguishable traits in his films (noirish brooding, as babydoll might say, and grounded realism, as I might say) and would consider him an auteur and more than capable director, even his selection of imagery sometimes leaves something to be desired (truer of his earlier films than latter, IMO).In the case of Cassavetes, while his loose approach to narrative structure is definitely something different from normal filmmaking practice (including the Coens and Nolan), the really important difference between his style of filmmaking and Nolan's is that the latter begins with an elaborate macro-structure and works his way down, while Cassavetes began with minutely observed behavior and worked his way up. Both approaches have their strengths, but one of Nolan's particular limitations is an inability to make his scenes work dramatically. While Cassavetes' stories are sometimes filled with gaps (like what happens to Mabel Longhetti during her time in the institution), on a scene by scene basis, his movies are full of drama. There's an aliveness and curiousness about human behavior that's utterly lacking from Nolan's movies, which unfold with the boring precision of a mathematical formula.

[B-side]

I think it's common in film criticism circles to identify "good directors" as being from one of two classes: 1) exceptional formalist in the vein of Kubrick, Welles, Scorsese, Coppola, maybe Spielberg and 2) guys who tried to subvert traditional formalism in some way or another by overtly focusing on a more specific aspect of filmmaking (here, I'm thinking of guys like Cassavetes, the cinema verite directors in Europe, and von Trier in some instances). It's pretty easy to see why; it becomes increasingly difficult to identify a director's contributions to a film if they don't fall squarely into one of those two camps because the films start to look like more collaborative efforts. My proposition is simply that the way someone moves a camera or uses lighting effects (or in turn subverts traditional ways of doing such) is not the only signifier of good direction. For example, there are a lot of elements in most Coen brothers films that aren't necessarily connected with the aesthetic of their films but nevertheless attributable to their direction. I'm thinking of things like timing, rhythm, and tone, and I think it's a mistake to attribute that completely to their writing or their editing because it involves everything from their use of music, choice of shot, and the inflection they instruct their actors to use, costuming decisions, etc. I think Nolan has carved out similarly distinguishable traits in his films (noirish brooding, as babydoll might say, and grounded realism, as I might say) and would consider him an auteur and more than capable director, even his selection of imagery sometimes leaves something to be desired (truer of his earlier films than latter, IMO).

I don't know, those two groups seem far too broad to be exclusionary. I get what you're saying, though, that Nolan''s auteuristic tendencies fall largely in his characterizations and whatnot as opposed to his technical form. He doesn't seem particularly interested in carving out his own corner in that regard. I don't know that I could point out any specific technical motifs and/or consistencies in his work, which isn't necessarily a bad thing in and of itself, but Nolan has trouble making his films terribly formally compelling regardless of his lack of the aforementioned technical consistencies, which I think is definitely a problem when your screenplay is as unwieldy as his have become lately.

[B-side]

There's an aliveness and curiousness about human behavior that's utterly lacking from Nolan's movies, which unfold with the boring precision of a mathematical formula.

I think this is fair. Inception in particular suffers from this; calculated to a degree that it sort of minimalizes your opportunity to live and breathe in that world. To make a completely unnecessary comparison, Bresson's films often feel calculated, but the notion of fate looms over his work like a guiding hand, which makes his less "loose" work operate on an entirely different level.

[Boner M]

I was going to write a big, long devaluation of Nolan here, but I realised I'd be devaluating his reputation elsewhere more than around these parts, so I'll simply agree that his films are (for the most part) original and entertaining and leave it at that.

[MadMan]

How is The Social Network not a film that fits Nolan's "type" any more than it's a film that does not fit Fincher's "type"?Its more of a drama. Nolan usually does film noir type films, and these days throws action sequences in them as well. Sure he could direct The Social Network, but it would not look anything like Fincher's version. And I think TSN did really fit Fincher's type of directing style. Absolutely.

[Stay Puft]

blah blah nolan im bored lets rate stuff

1. Inception - ***
2. Dogtooth - ***
3. Black Swan - **
4. Blue Valentine - n/a
5. Exit Through the Gift Shop - ***½
6. The Social Network - **
7. Scott Pilgrim vs the World – **½
8. Everyone Else – n/a
9. The Ghost Writer – ***
10. Mother – ***
11. Toy Story 3 - n/a
12. Let Me In – n/a
13. A Prophet - ***
14. Alamar – ****
15. Secret Sunshine - n/a
16. True Grit - n/a
17. Carlos – ***
18. Greenberg – ***
19. I Am Love - ***½
20. Another Year – n/a

A pretty good list, I think, generally solid all around with only a couple films I don't care much about in the top ten. I didn't think it was a terribly good year anyways or at least I didn't see much that I felt terribly enthusiastic about, just a decent year with a lot of strong to very strong films I liked.

Alamar, however, which I just watched last night, is my new favorite of 2010. Good on you Match Cut for pointing me to that film, that's exactly the kind of film I had been looking for these past months.

[Derek]

Pickpocket (Bresson '59) **

wut?

[Ezee E]

Its more of a drama. Nolan usually does film noir type films, and these days throws action sequences in them as well. Sure he could direct The Social Network, but it would not look anything like Fincher's version. And I think TSN did really fit Fincher's type of directing style. Absolutely.
Serial killers and a need for special effects?

[eternity]

1. Inception - **
2. Dogtooth - ***
3. Black Swan - ** 1/2
4. Blue Valentine - ****
5. Exit Through the Gift Shop - ****
6. The Social Network - ****
7. Scott Pilgrim vs the World – *** 1/2
8. Everyone Else – ** 1/2
9. The Ghost Writer – ***
10. Mother – n/a
11. Toy Story 3 - ****
12. Let Me In – ***
13. A Prophet - *** 1/2
14. Alamar – n/a
15. Secret Sunshine - n/a
16. True Grit - **
17. Carlos – n/a
18. Greenberg – *
19. I Am Love - n/a
20. Another Year – n/a

[MadMan]

Serial killers and a need for special effects?One could argue that Mark Zuckerberg displayed sociopathic behavior. At the very least, he was an emotionally aloof character who felt out of touch with other people. Reminds me of the Narrator in Fight Club, actually. Oh and the twins were really one person, thanks to CGI. Yep.

[soitgoes...]

wut?

Stay Puft has one Asian movie in his sig, and he nailed the rating. That is all we can ask of him.

[dmk]

wut?
Ride in the Whirlwind (Hellman, 1965) *½

I'd say this demands an even bigger "wut?", you hypocrite scum!!!

[Stay Puft]

Stay Puft has one Asian movie in his sig, and he nailed the rating. That is all we can ask of him.

Conversely, two and a half stars for Hou's film? Boo this man.

(But Ichi the Killer is lame, so an internet high five for that.)

[soitgoes...]

Conversely, two and a half stars for Hou's film? Boo this man.

(But Ichi the Killer is lame, so an internet high five for that.)
The four 1980's Hou films I've seen are among the best of the decade. The other four Hou films I've seen I can't muster up any enthusiasm for. It was pretty, the prettiest of all of his films, but that will only get me so far. I'll give Cafe Lumiere a whirl soon. Hou doing Ozu should click for me. If not, I should just stick to his eighties films.

Oh yeah, and Ichi the Killer was painful.

[soitgoes...]

Ride in the Whirlwind (Hellman, 1965) *½

I'd say this demands an even bigger "wut?", you hypocrite scum!!!
Says this guy -


Gun Crazy (Lewis) - 5.5

[Bosco B Thug]

PEOPLE! COVER UP. Your signatures are showing. It's like an obscene Mexican standoff going on in here.

Can't really fall in, not because I don't have impressive opinions (I do), but because I have none about any of the particular films being brought up. But here:


I'm Still Here (Affleck, 2010) ** You got it.

[Rowland]

Stray Dog (Kurosawa 49) - 8I love this movie.

[NickGlass]

There's an aliveness and curiousness about human behavior that's utterly lacking from Nolan's movies, which unfold with the boring precision of a mathematical formula.

Nailed it.

[Ivan Drago]

Oh yeah, and Ichi the Killer was painful.

For an audience member and Kakihara's body. Yikes.

[baby doll]

Alamar didn't really do it for me. I found it very romanticized (the HD cinematography makes everything look postcard beautiful), and not all that ambitious. I've seen this described as a fiction/documentary hybrid, but as I was watching it, it felt like a straight vérité-style documentary. Then again, I wasn't that crazy about Nanook of the North either.

[Bosco B Thug]

I love this movie.
It's wonderful. I'm a Kurosawa n00b - I've really only seen this and Rashomon freshly, Ikiru once long ago - so it's good to see he does a straight-forward police thriller with as much artistry, expressionist interludes, and bold humanist structuring as those other two films.

[soitgoes...]

It's wonderful. I'm a Kurosawa n00b - I've really only seen this and Rashomon freshly, Ikiru once long ago - so it's good to see he does a straight-forward police thriller with as much artistry, expressionist interludes, and bold humanist structuring as those other two films.Kind of a strange choice for a third Kurosawa, but there's about a twenty year window where he did very little wrong, so I suppose any choice is a good choice. Check out High and Low for more Kurosawa-does-crime.

[Bosco B Thug]

Kind of a strange choice for a third Kurosawa, but there's about a twenty year window where he did very little wrong, so I suppose any choice is a good choice. Check out High and Low for more Kurosawa-does-crime. Ha, yeah, it was completely arbitrary. Don't even read plot summaries. His titles - either Japanese words or nondescript phrases - have a weird way of not capturing my imagination, so it'll be "Oh this one has the most Netflix stars" deciding order for the most part.

I'm actually really eager to see High and Low, since I've already seen two takes on the story (Seance on a Wet Afternoon and Seance), but that's what's convinced me not to see it until I've seen other Kurosawa.

[Sycophant]

I'm actually really eager to see High and Low, since I've already seen two takes on the story (Seance on a Wet Afternoon and Seance), but that's what's convinced me not to see it until I've seen other Kurosawa.

I don't believe A. Kurosawa's film is based on material at all related to what K. Kurosawa's film is based on.

[soitgoes...]

Yeah, High and Low is based off a different book than the other two. Kidnapping is present, but I don't think there are many other similarities between Akira's film and the others.

[Bosco B Thug]

Hmm, you guys are right. Must've seen them mentioned in the same breath, but neglected it was only to point out their passing similarity but essential unrelatedness.