Match-cut's annual 2011 top 20 (and bottom 10) countdown!!!

[Boner M]

Greetings, to the annual match-cut.org Top 20 (and bottom 10) countdown. Now to welcome our craaazzzy host, mr Lars von Trier! I wonder what crazzzy things he'll have to say?

http://images.smh.com.au/2011/12/11/2832365/ipad-art-wide-LARS_VON_TRIER-420x0.jpg

"For a long time I was a Matchcutter and I was happy to be a Matchcutter, then I met Irish and I wasn't so happy. But then I found out I was actually a RT'er. My family were RT'ers. That also gave me pleasure. What can I say? I understand Flamegrape. I sympathize with him/her/it a bit. I don't mean I'm against Matchcutters, not even Irish. In fact I'm very much in favor of them. All Matchcutters. Well, the Upcoming Film Discussion Thread is a pain in the ass [pause] ... How can I get out of this sentence? OK, I'm an RT'er."

http://www.vulture.com/6a00d83451b8c369e2014e8887d3a6 970d.gif

Oh shiiit, Lars. You've just brought on the wrath of Raiders, our #1 skankin' mod.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7rdcN2WwURQ/TlTqKdS5xNI/AAAAAAAADFw/UpE9VLrCsEk/s1600/SuggsDomenechCastelloEPA4.jpg

Whoa, whoa, cool it cat. I ain't havin' this kind of jive-talk on my forum. In fact, never dug your films or your whole troll-punk schtick. I'm bannin' ya, turkey.




http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_YK9rr0xs-kU/TIq9eDbacTI/AAAAAAAAE_g/cXQ4-r2sM_M/s1600/lars-von-trier.jpg

...............

And now we begin a quest to find a new host. Find out it's identity soon! AND OUR FAVORITE AND LEAST FAVORITE FILMS OF 2011!

[Stay Puft]

I am excite.

[B-side]

Heh.

[Boner M]

Please welcome our new host; neither animal, vegetable nor mineral as promised (and whom Spinal and Ivan Drago got closest to guessing correctly).

It's...


Terrence Malick Voiceover

http://www.road-dog-productions.com/weblog/leaves_new_world_1.jpg

Mother, father...

...what forces and powers that be led to my exclusion from each of the 20 films voted among the best of the year?

...and may I present them under each title listed here?

...also, where did I leave my car keys, mother?

[Boner M]

As always, the bottom 10 films counted down first. Starting with...

10. Transformers: Darkside of the Fallen

http://www.instructables.com/image/FI284PJFYTCI6JR/Collect-bottle-caps.jpg

"“the best thing about these threads is that it stands as a record documenting the curious phenomenon of trailer-induced amnesia. It's like the first two movies didn't exist (and didn't have trailers that looked exactly the same as this one)” – transmogrifier

[Boner M]

9. Paul

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_uRSl_U5eaxE/TAKRjbdWA4I/AAAAAAAAADs/gFyUECdWucU/s1600/artworks-000001541185-7gjthg-original.jpg

“A bad, bad movie. I liked, though, that I paid Utah ticket prices for it. $12 for 2 people? Wow! I can't believe Frost and Pegg wrote this... it's a chasmic black hole of quality.” – Sven

[Boner M]

8. Super

http://brandonfilm.files.wordpress.co m/2011/04/taxidriver-tv.jpg

“I disliked it when I first saw it, and dislike it more in retrospect. Forget the fact that it's well-acted and (occasionally) witty -- it exploits that "wallowing-in-misery" vibe more than just about any movie in recent memory. It's hart to root for a hero when he's a borderline sociopath, no matter how well-intentioned, and Ellen Page's character (maybe the highlight of the film) is just as unsettlingly deranged. The whole thing feels unpleasant, a little like watching a therapy session or a parole hearing.” – Chac Mool

[Boner M]

7. Hobo With a Shotgun

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Media/Pix/pictures/2011/4/14/1302787620268/VHS-tape--006.jpg

“This was cringe-worthy throughout. It cranks the excess to 11 at the start of the film, and so it has nothing to escalate the tension for the latter two acts. The vulgarity is so overloaded that it can't go anywhere interesting, and Abby's stereotypical character lacks any real pathos. Hauer's speech to the babies is almost entertainingly over-the-top, but the whole tone of the film fails, in my mind.” - dreamdead

[Boner M]

6. The Help

http://a2.mzstatic.com/us/r1000/037/Purple/b6/ac/26/mzl.xhubptvk.320x480-75.jpg

“Salt. In. Wound. I'm not sure why I was hoping this would be surprisingly good.” - Pop Trash

[Boner M]

5. Cowboys & Aliens

http://natelarsonmusic.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Nuts-And-Gum-1313775813.jpeg

“This...this was just so bad. It's definitely more of a western than a sci-fi film, yet it's clearly written by science fiction scribes who seem incapable of writing a western. The "aliens" are tacked on and run of the mill at best in what is otherwise just a piss poor, bare bones cowboy movie.” - eternity

[Boner M]

4. The Hangover Part II

http://www.reliableattorneyserviceca. com/photocopy4.jpg

“There's not a single laugh to be had here. Not one. The movie is flat out not funny at all. Maybe if it actually tried to do something different, something vaguely original, instead of only referencing the first movie every god damn five seconds. The references just become groan inducing. I literally don't have a single good thing to say about this mind numbing piece of crap. The first one was great, so I at least expected a shred of quality here. But no, nothing. This movie has no redeeming qualities whatsoever.” - TGM

[Stay Puft]

The accompanying pictures are amazing.

[Boner M]

3. Battle: Los Angeles

http://blogs.westword.com/showandtell/02%20america%20fuck%20yeah.jpg

“I don't have anything nice to say about it.” – Pip (this was Pip’s second last post)

[Boner M]

2. Pirates of the Carribean 4

http://www.boat-wallpapers.com/bulkupload/wallpapers/Ship%20Wrecks/rusty-ship-wreck-wallpaper.jpg

“It's fucking horrible; my friend called it 'a flatline of mediocrity' and that about sums it up. I've rarely seen a film that doles out its exposition so mechanically, and the action scenes are typical frenetic dullness. Rob Marshall should never be let near a camera again.” – me

[Boner M]

1. Green Lantern

http://today.ucf.edu/files/2010/01/blueman.jpg
http://images2.fanpop.com/images/polls/120196_1222197379406_full.jpg
http://www.burgsimpson.com/images/explosions-fires.jpg

“I always thought a very good Green Lantern movie could and should be made.” – Grouchy, ca. 2008

“This was as bad as I was told it would be, and probably several times worse. For starters, it needed a lot more Oa - that was more interesting than the fucking Ryan Reynolds sitcom. The guy was a terrible, terrible choice to attach to a character like Hal Jordan. If there is going to be a sequel, I so wish they'd gotten rid of him. Overall, just... bad. The movie has only one real character to speak of, and that's Hector Hammond. Everyone else is a cardboard figure spouting terrible lines. I'm not demanding any more good writing than serviceable and it even fails to do that. The film just rushes through scenes and that's a feeling I'm getting more and more when it comes to Hollywood blockbusters, specially superhero movies. A mess of poor writing, acting, direction and effects.” – Grouchy, ca. 2012

[Watashi]

I only saw 3 of the bottom 10 (and liked one of them).

[Winston*]

20. Moneyball

http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/3741/moneyballl.jpg


Match:

"This was actually a really great movie, one that can appeal to both baseball lovers (myself) and those who aren't as big a fan of the game itself. The humor comes off as well played and not forced at all, and the performances are all excellent-especially Hill, which was a surprise to me. I'll be shocked if Pitt doesn't merit recognition come awards time, but he's been passed over unfairly before. " - Madman

Cut:

"This was overly dramatized to the point of absurdity. The story isn't nearly interesting enough to carry a two hour long Hollywood production so they really have to crank up the histrionics and embellish the details. Sorkin's dialogue is sharp as usual but the story just doesn't translate very well.

It tries very hard to avoid the pitfalls of a formulaic sports movie but it ultimately succumbs to just that." - Robby P

Rejected Terrence Malick Voiceover:

http://www.baseballgames247.com/wp-content/themes/moviepress/thumbs//baseball-game-baseball-grass-640x400.jpg

"...this game can take a man...

...break him down...build him up anew...

...when it comes time, will I see you on the other side?

...in the playoffs?"

[soitgoes...]

I can't really argue the inclusion of any of those films (minus Super and The Help, which I haven't seen). Paul was okay, but underwhelming. I still can't get over how bad Battle: Los Angeles is or the fact that I sat through its entirety.

[Stay Puft]

I've seen:

Transformers 3 (*1/2)
Super (***)
Battle: Los Angeles (*1/2)

I wanted to see Paul because of Frost/Pegg but everybody said steer clear so I did. Conversely, I have no regrets re: Transformers.

[Stay Puft]

Rejected Terrence Malick Voiceover:

:lol:

This is already brilliant.

[eternity]

I don't actually mean this, but see more bad movies.

[Winston*]

19. Take Shelter

http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/9226/takeshelter.gif


Match

"Great film, but I was content on Shannon's nightmares/hallucinations staying strictly weather-related rather than turning into The Crazies; the only real misstep in an otherwise sensitive and truthful portrayal of mental illness. Fortunately those scenes only appear in the early stages and subside near the end. Loved the final scene, which I imagine will be divisive." - Boner M.

Cut

"Cheap. The ambiguity is just a way to give emotional gratification to the plebs while not completely pissing off the snobs i.e. having that cake and eating it too. If I'm not going to give Spielberg slack for pulling that crap, then Nichols doesn't get any either. " - DavidSeven


Rejected Terrence Malick Voiceover:

http://favimages.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/dandelion-green-grass-overcast.jpg

"...what are these visions that cloud my mind?

...I feel them as real as wind or rain...

...a storm of emotion brews within me...."

[B-side]

I'm proud of myself for not having bothered with a single film in the bottom 10.

[Kiusagi]

Egad, I saw nine of the bottom ten films. I think I need to get my priorities in order.

[Winston*]

18. Nostalgia for the Light

http://img600.imageshack.us/img600/6101/nostalgiai.jpg

Match:
"Nostalgia for the Light - Mega Yay

It's fascinating how thematically complementary some of the year's best films are proving to be." - Rowland

Cut:
"More like nostalgia for my bed! 'coz this movie was a snooze!! :frustrated:" - Israfel the Black

Accepted Terrence Malick Voiceover:

http://cinemaelectronica.files.wordpr ess.com/2011/10/tumblr_ljyju8uiha1qd9dz2o1_500 .jpg

"...those who have a memory are able to live in the fragile present moment....

...those who have none don't live anywhere..."

[Irish]

+1 for using a "Mac and Me" poster for Paul. :lol:

[Stay Puft]

Accepted Terrence Malick Voiceover:

I don't want to keep making the same post and abuse the emoticons but oh my goodness. I lost it here.

[Winston*]

17. Rango

http://img836.imageshack.us/img836/8471/rangoa.jpg

Match:
"I don't think it was as reliant on its Western referents (though they are a-plenty), spinning a perfectly crafty and truly post-modern lesson in fiction from the oft-abused skein of pop culture yarn. The initial crash following Rango's initial sketching of a square on his glass(/projector screen) was spectacular. The whole thing was spectacular. It's a triumph for Verbinski, whose live action films haven't even come close. Well, Mouse Hunt maybe." - Sven

Cut:
"This movie has good comedy and great visuals but the story is a pretty dull, by the numbers affair....Part of that is the movie's lack of focus, trying to be part Don Juan inspired peyote fever dream, part bootstrapping American self invention. I never bought into Rango's arc going from furious Don Knotsian comic idiocy to fully formed Western Hero who saves the town and gets the girl." - Irish

Rejected Terrence Malick Voiceover:

http://docnz.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/gecko.jpg

"...ain't we all but lizards

...sunning ourselves in the light of His Glory?"

[Spinal]

"...ain't we all but lizards

...sunning ourselves in the light of His Glory?"



:lol: This will be hard to top.

[Winston*]

16. Attack the Block

http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/1063/attacknb.jpg

Match:
"But the most impressive handling of Moses as a protagonist is in the way the film ends at the absolute perfect moment. Cornish allows the block—and the audience—to fully get behind Moses as a hero without sweeping his criminal misdeeds under a rug. Just one scene before or after where the film ends, and we’d have to morally weigh where Moses stands, but Cornish very smartly pulls the plug at the coolest, most bittersweet high point; freeing us to walk out with the guilt-free assurance that this movie is a ton of fun.." - number8

Cut:
"Attack the Block was one of the most grating movies I've attempted to watch recently. Had to stop it...I mostly couldn't stand any of the "characters" and wanted them off the screen pronto." - Pop Trash

Rejected Terrence Malick Voiceover:

http://www.oreillynet.com/digitalmedia/blog/images/nightsky_after.jpg

"...these things...

...these creatures that plague us so...

....were you there at their creation as you were with ours?

...in which of us does your image lie?"

[Bosco B Thug]

5. Cowboys & Aliens

http://natelarsonmusic.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Nuts-And-Gum-1313775813.jpeg

16. Attack the Block

"...these things...

...these creatures that plague us so...

....were you there at their creation as you were with ours?

...in which of us does your image lie?"

Winners. Also the Kirsten Dunst gif.

I want to see Rango.

[Boner M]

15. Super 8

http://i39.tinypic.com/xgcmr6.jpg

Match:

"This is really supreme entertainment. If anything, Abrams has guaranteed my butt in a seat for all his movies because he can really direct an exciting, involving movie. Plus, it flirts with richness (the article Rowland posted makes some great connections, and other great connections that are barely realized by the film), so that, even if the story kind of disintegrates in the final thirty minutes, the soaringly emotional and suddenly utmost-ridiculous finale works as an absurdly beatific encapsulation of the worth of high sentimentality in escapist cinema, combining two families' mirror reconciliations and a judgmental monster's divinely-tinged magnetic swiping of humanity's petty articles (consumer items, a memento mori, and soldiers' guns - one soldier even clinging to it so desperately he gets served with a moment of small humiliation) into a beautiful final shot." - Bosco

Cut:

"It's a Frankenstein-esque mish-mash of scenes that are borrowed from a million different sources and never gel together. Any movie that spends so much time on the waste of a character that is Noah Emmerich's cannot have a good screenplay.." - transmogrifier

Rejected Terrence Malick Voiceover:

http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/7/2010/05/340x_super8.jpg

…what are those beams…

…those shards of lumen, that race across the screen?

...What in JJ Abrams’ heart maketh him use such tricks?

…it’s annoying.

[baby doll]

So far I'm zero for six on the top twenty (although I intend to see both Nostalgia for the Light and Take Shelter), and one for ten on the bottom ten.

[Boner M]

14. Martha Marcy May Marlene

http://oi44.tinypic.com/im4i12.jpg

Match:

"This was stunning. Had a very personal, emotional response that was hard to shake off, and I wasn't alone based on conversations with others afterwards. It transcends its subject matter (backwoods cults) in the sense that it's really about being torn between a false sense of belonging & being completely alien in the place where you should belong. Deftly elliptical narrative and formally exquisite in the chilly Haneke/Kubrick mold, but never slavishly indebted to either. Elizabeth Olsen and John Hawkes are exceptional. It's been touted as 'this year's Winter's Bone' but I think it'll be more passionately embraced by its supporters. Scarily assured for a debut feature." - Boner

Cut:

"Durkin can shoot the hell out of a scene, but at the end I was very saddened by the way this film seemed to be so content to simply make silly parallels and play temporal guessing games with the viewer. So much of the film seems so tied to its structure that Durkin doesn't really sell either past or present with any real conviction. We get a lot of assembly line filmmaking; austere emotionality, sexually violent cults, and the requisite indie ending. I think number8's wishful-thinking ending, and the plausibility of it, speaks to the way the film focuses too much of its attention on the temporality and the equality of the two timelines without really investing in the characters themselves. In particular are the two men within each period; Dancy is rather charmless and forgetful, overshadowed by Hawkes which is easy to imagine given the latter's wealth of menacing charisma. But the film lets him down, surrounding him with Cult 101 and adds a feeling of lack of cohesiveness within that period's storyline, culminating with an act of violence that feels less organic and more tacked on to complete the storyline. The film forgets to really give any backstory or any real sense of the overwhelming seductiveness that draws one into a cult, or fails to at least give us any sense why Olsen's character would join. I left the film without any lingering thoughts or emotions, acknowledging the directorial talent without feeling any affinity for it." - Raiders

Rejected Terrence Malick Voiceover:

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Ijk5FGQE5Sw/S7UVXAz5XaI/AAAAAAAAAS4/NIVxkH9IZxU/s1600/Peter+simon+COMMUNE+Dancing.jp g

…what led me to your congregation?

...you with the scrawny physique and pedo-ish demeanor?

...I guess I did like you in those movies and TV shows.

[Boner M]

13. Le Quattro Volte

http://oi42.tinypic.com/34pbdwi.jpg

Match:

"The Four Times is not like that film where your friend says it should only be seen in the cinema and you say ‘sure’ and then watch it on DVD with indistinguishable effect. They should screen this at Imax, because it’s all about opening your eyes wider and how can you do that if you watch it on your shitty Iphone which only really results in the reverse. Saying that, it’s at its best when its mise en scene is blocked off in front of you and what’s left is only a black screen with rumbling atmos creaking into your ear. Really awesome, and I feel like the mostly unrelated-except-superficially El somni (2008) and Sweetgrass (2009) were rehearsals and this is where it peaks." - dmk

Cut:

"This must be my Dogtooth of the year. I understand what it's trying to say but cannot appreciate its presentation. At all." - Lucky

Rejected Terrence Malick Voiceover:

http://www.5cense.com/10/Sardo/13_goat_sunset_sea.jpg

…baaahhhhhh...

...baaahhhhhh baaahhhhhh baaahhhhhh...

...baaahhhhhh...

baaahhhhhh.

[Melville]

That goat is gold. Highlight of the thread so far.

[Dukefrukem]

So far so good. No huge complaints here. Bottom list looks good although I don't believe Super deserves to be in the bottom 10 list. Bad job MC.

[B-side]

That goat is gold.

I see what you did there.

[Henry Gale]

Great work so far. Mixed feelings about having seen every one of the bottom 10, but that also means I can both completely agree with some choices while feeling a few others don't belong anywhere near it.

10. Transformers: Dark of the Moon - **½
9. Paul - **½
8. Super - ***
7. Hobo with a Shotgun - ***
6. The Help - ***
5. Cowboys & Aliens - **
4. The Hangover Part II - **
3. Battle: Los Angeles - *
2. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides - ***
1. Green Lantern - *

Could have used a bit more of the likes of The Roommate, Friends with Benefits, Another Earth, Arthur, Hall Pass, The Ward, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, Cars 2, and probably a bunch of others I didn't see, which probably means no one else did either.

But no, I can't defend On Stranger Tides other than saying it was better than Dead Man's Chest and about on par with At World's End (which I also liked, though mostly for its more madcap elements).

[Mr. McGibblets]

I have seen 3 of the Bottom 10 movies. I thought Pirates of the Caribbean was incredibly awful, Super was a decent idea (are the kind of people who would become real life 'superheroes' psychopaths?) that never went anywhere and had an ordinary Superhero movie finale, and The Hangover Part II was totally rote, but I like the cast enough to make it watchable.

[Rowland]

I'm just happy The Future didn't make it onto our bottom list, probably because even with the vehement dislike a few of our members held for it, not enough people had seen it. Otherwise, I've seen The Help, which does indeed suck; Hobo With a Shotgun, which I have deeply mixed feelings about but generally like more than not; and both Hangover Part II and Battle: Los Angeles, which I surprisingly gave minor yays to, I suspect mostly because my expectations were ridiculously low and I was in an agreeable mood at the time, since I wouldn't classify either as good movies exactly.

[Kurosawa Fan]

So far I've seen one of these. Pathetic. At least it was from the top 20 and not the bottom 10.

[Gizmo]

So Twilight wasn't one of the ten worst films of the year?

I know it's because not many actually bothered to see it, but still kinda funny.

[eternity]

So Twilight wasn't one of the ten worst films of the year?

I know it's because not many actually bothered to see it, but still kinda funny.
It has what was easily the craziest, funniest third act of any movie I saw in 2011, so I can't say I'm upset that it isn't in the bottom 10.

[Henry Gale]

It has what was easily the craziest, funniest third act of any movie I saw in 2011, so I can't say I'm upset that it isn't in the bottom 10.

Not to mention the end credits' amazingly awkward music choice, all which rolls into a hilarious bonus Michael Sheen scene. All so gloriously horrible. (Glorrible? Horrious?)

I should maybe mention that I've only seen the third act.

[Melville]

I see what you did there.
? Something clever, I hope.

[Ivan Drago]

Not to mention the end credits' amazingly awkward music choice, all which rolls into a hilarious bonus Michael Sheen scene. All so gloriously horrible. (Glorrible? Horrious?)

I should maybe mention that I've only seen the third act.

You missed the classic scene of the werewolf pack meeting that looked like a conversation featuring the dogs from Up.

That being said though, the soundtrack was the only thing good it had going for it.

[B-side]

? Something clever, I hope.

The second picture's goat is tinted gold.:P

[Henry Gale]

You missed the classic scene of the werewolf pack meeting that looked like a conversation featuring the dogs from Up.

That being said though, the soundtrack was the only thing good it had going for it.

Oh, the songs for New Moon and Eclipse probably make up two of the better compilation-based soundtracks of recent years (I mean, Thom Yorke, Grizzly Bear, Bon Iver, St. Vincent, The Black Keys, The Dead Weather, The Killers, Beck, Bat For Lashes, Band of Horses, Metric, I could go on) but the ways I've seen the films use them have ranged from only somewhat fitting to stunningly out of place. The films don't deserve the songs, and yet the films are the only reason they exist, therefore I can forgive it all.

In the case of Breaking Dawn's end credits, they go from Kristen Stewart's death (sorry, spoilers, I guess) accompanied by Carter Burwell's melancholy score as all the characters begin to mourn, then at the last second her vampire rebirth is revealed to have kicked in! Cut to black, immediate jump into a fairly upbeat Joy Formidable song while the credits roll, followed by some stompy, bluesy piano rock during the Sheen scene. I felt like I was watching a bizarre fangirl video with their own custom music choices. But nope, just Bill Condon.

[MadMan]

I don't actually mean this, but see more bad movies.I refuse to sit through The Smurfs or that Chipmonks movie or Twilight, fool :P

And hey one of my blurbs got quoted. Cool. I've seen some of the Top 20 so far, but not that many which doesn't surprise me since I have not viewed a great deal from 2011, honestly.

What I've Seen of the Bottom 10:

7. Hobo With a Shotgun-85
6. The Help-57
5. Cowboys and Aliens-was a 79, now I'm feeling more of a rating in the 60s range
4. The Hangover Part II-77
3. Battle: LA-44

Also every movie needs to have a Terrence Malick voiceover :lol:

[Boner M]

12. Meek's Cutoff

http://i40.tinypic.com/2qmmft2.jpg

Match:

"Haunting & hypnotic. In other words: another fine effort by Kelly Reichardt." - Pop Trash

Cut:

"Meek's Cutoff is able to create a great sense of atmosphere of what it must be like to go on such a trek, but ultimately, is quite forgetful [sic]. It seems to want to be a more artistic Deadwood, but without everything that we like about Deadwood... I still think the cropped approach hurts itself more then giving it an advantage. I see no advantage whatsoever." - Ezee E

Rejected Terrence Malick Voiceover:

http://www.mountainsofstone.com/images/Oregon%20Marker.jpg

...be it the wagon or man…

...which leads it to crash in this manner?

...Bruce Greenwood, why hath thou forsaken me?

[Boner M]

11. Hugo

http://i43.tinypic.com/eqw4d2.png

Match:

"Absolutely loved it. The way the film unfolds is just such an effective and seamless build, done so effortlessly in the way it brings all of its elements, a handful of themes and characters (which I suppose is the thing that most makes it a family film), closer and closer together. In the opening sequence I was filled with child-like wonder and by the end I was just emotionally overwhelmed. Scorsese using 3D here is exactly what you'd hope a director as established with his skill and technical sensibilities would do in terms of instantly figuring out how to use a new tool like it in the best way possible. It's easily the best and most beautiful live-action 3D I've ever seen. I saw it on a pretty big screen and sat just where the screen filled my field of vision and it was unlike any experience I've had with a non-IMAX 3D presentation." - Henry Gale

Cut:

"Scorsese does indulge himself a bit too much in those last 30 or so minutes, but at least the film felt like it was about something at that point. Narratively, this film is just going through the motions for a good three-quarters of its length. The story of this little kid is just barely interesting. Obviously, this film is truly about giving glory to Melies . In that, it's mostly successful. The finale is strong, touching, but overall, this is not a great film. There is another 90 minutes to account for, and those minutes are spent telling a meandering story of a child who barely registers as a character. The ending saves this movie, but only up to a point... The 3D still feels pretty artless to me. There's a nice novelty to it while you're sitting in the theater, but none of the popping images really stick with me. Most of the film just felt like an animated diorama to me, which may have made it even more difficult to connect with the film's central story.." - DavidSeven

Rejected Terrence Malick Voiceover:

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2323/2488607697_367c01bdda_z.jpg?zz =1

...when did the images start to move?

...did cinema begin with Badlands, or some time earlier?

...I'm seriously not sure.

[baby doll]

So I saw Hugo last night (in 2D). I think I would've enjoyed this more had I not known beforehand that it was about Georges Méliès, since the first hour or so of the movie builds up to that revelation. (But then, if I really hadn't known that, I probably wouldn't have bothered with the film at all.) Still, I found this sufficiently charming--a good deal more so than Midnight in Paris. Incidentally, I find it interesting that this movie has gotten some flack for being too sophisticated for children yet no one to my knowledge has complained about The Departed being too crass for adults.

[Dukefrukem]

Ugh. Meek's Cutoff was such a bore. I can't think of a reason to want to watch it again...

Hugo was worse

[Winston*]

10. Midnight in Paris

http://img198.imageshack.us/img198/9526/hemmingway.gif

Match:

"yeah, i thought it was fantastic. i'm not singling anyone here out (even though i'm paraphrasing) but i think films that come off as effortless can often be mistaken for disposable. this was one of woody's funniest in awhile, it was rather poignant, and owen wilson is just great in it. the bunuel scene had me in stitches. one of the most enjoyable trips to the movies i've had in a long time. i think it's easily in woody's top ten films." - ledfloyd

Cut:

"Midnight in Paris feels like Woody directing an SNL sketch of an American in Paris. It's slight, has a poignant theme placed in a simplified and digestible form, and perpetually pigeonholes its characters." - NickGlass

Rejected Terrence Malick Voiceover:

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_gEgIfB-nNfc/RwjVfHGa2ZI/AAAAAAAABUg/Wj9UWZxePsw/s400/P9250216.JPG

"....my heart...my soul...

...how I long to gaze upon thee once more...

..but it shall never again be...

...for our paths lie broken...in the land of great men."

[Derek]

Wow, I wasn't expecting this to make the top 20, let alone 10. I like it a good deal, but that seems a bit high.

[Winston*]

9. The Descendants

http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/6303/desdp.gif

Match:

"I've already seen the film twice (a rare occurrence for me); it is a universe that feels very alive in the interconnectedness of its characters. Although the subject matter is frequently sad, reflecting the brokenness of relationship and human intention, there is a gentle joy conveyed in the reconfiguration of the king family. There is new life in death. Having worked in a hospital last summer as a chaplain, I can say that the intense, conflicted emotions the kings display in front of their dying mother and wife rang especially true to me." - Dillard
Cut:

"The first 20 minutes were god-awful. It kinda redeemed itself from then, but ultimately, I just didn't really care about Clooney's quest. Robert Forster was pretty awesome. " - Watashi

Rejected Terrence Malick Voiceover:

http://www.hometowninvasion.com/photos/470/2IMG_9933.jpg

"....is it getting better...

...or do you feel the same...

..will it make it easier on you now..

...you've got someone to blame..."

[Boner M]

I see what you did there.

[Winston*]

I see what you did there.

It's hard to do these for movies I haven't seen.

[Boner M]

It's hard to do these for movies I haven't seen.
Well you're at least giving me ideas.

[baby doll]

Wow, I wasn't expecting this to make the top 20, let alone 10. I like it a good deal, but that seems a bit high.I think I might have mentioned this in the Midnight in Paris thread, but the problem with the movie is that the dead celebrities aren't characters in the usual sense so much as wax figures. I have problems with The Purple Rose of Cairo because of the ending, but at least that movie took its fantasy premise and went somewhere with it. Here, we get a couple of cute throwaway moments (to my tastes, the only real laugh is when the detective goes to Versailles), but nothing very inventive. That so many reviewers and Match-Cutters put it on their ten best lists is as baffling as it is sad: Is this all they really want from the movies?

[Winston*]

8. The Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives

http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/9894/boonmee.jpg

Match:

"Even better a second time. It's amazing how Weerasethakul makes his character feel so alive and fully rounded despite spending relatively little time developing them. I credit his wonderful ability for creating moods with the soundtrack and environments- the incessant chirping crickets and birds in the forest, the low rumbling sound in the mysterious cave- which helps one feel with the characters. My earlier complaint about not enough past-life-recalling makes no sense. I was probably in a too literal mindset. Joe's movies are mostly about the experience, and Uncle Boonmee is an entrancing, alternatingly mellow and gripping, and never less than beautiful experience.
" - StanleyK
Cut:

"There's a scene in this movie where the characters are walking through a cave. When they find what they're looking for, the first thing I thought of was that sketch on Conan O'Brien where Frankenstein would "waste a minute of our time" by walking through the studio with the camera behind him and eventually finding something pointless like a sandwich. Except this was more like ten minutes. That is all.
. " - Issac

Rejected Terrence Malick Voiceover:

http://www.vagabondish.com/wp-content/uploads/thailand-haeo-suwat-waterfall.jpg

"....I feel your presence in all things here...

...I see your light...

...in the wind and the trees...

..in the reincarnation of man into ape...

...in the talking catfish..."

[Winston*]

7. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

http://img252.imageshack.us/img252/9894/boonmee.jpg

Match:

"I thought this was incredible. I was stunned leaving the theater. I don't think it is bloodless at all. The film is pulsating with the menace that comes from the starkness of the Circus interiors and the way everything is kept at a distance, through a glass and the whole puzzle is scarcely ever seen.
" - Raiders

Cut:

"Performances uniformly great and I agree the film's not wholly humor-less, but this was kind of a slog for me. How can these guys' stories be tragic if there's no indication they haven't always been such complete shells of real human beings? Are you supposed to be convinced by that one scene where Kathy Burke's character is going on about the glory days?, " - Adam

Rejected Terrence Malick Voiceover:

http://tripideas.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/11-highgate-ponds-hampstead-heath-park-london-6a4f45.jpg

"....from where comes this evil...

...in which of these men does it inhabit...

...wait...who's he again...

...what's his name...

...where are we now..."

[Derek]

http://tripideas.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/11-highgate-ponds-hampstead-heath-park-london-6a4f45.jpg

"....from where comes this evil...

...in which of these men does it inhabit...

...wait...who's he again...

...what's his name...

...where are we now..."

:lol: Brilliant.

Another one I'm shocked to see so high. Not that I didn't like it, but didn't realize enough people loved it to land at 7.

[MadMan]

I think I might have mentioned this in the Midnight in Paris thread, but the problem with the movie is that the dead celebrities aren't characters in the usual sense so much as wax figures. I have problems with The Purple Rose of Cairo because of the ending, but at least that movie took its fantasy premise and went somewhere with it. Here, we get a couple of cute throwaway moments (to my tastes, the only real laugh is when the detective goes to Versailles), but nothing very inventive. That so many reviewers and Match-Cutters put it on their ten best lists is as baffling as it is sad: Is this all they really want from the movies?Yes, how dare people really enjoy a movie they find engaging, wonderful, and funny! I think I got out of that movie more than I was actually expecting, to be honest. Keep being baffled and sad, though-its what we need you here for.

[Winston*]

6. The Artist

http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/4613/artistdl.jpg

Match:

"I enjoyed this a lot. It's a really well done love story, potent in its simplicity, but also specific enough to not feel tired and familiar. While it is nostalgic, it does not feel maudlin because it brings new life and energy to an old mode of storytelling. It doesn't feel like an essay (Midnight in Paris) or a museum lecture (Hugo). It feels like a vibrant new film. It demonstrates what we've lost from the silent era not through words, but through its form. We experience the visual creativity and the focus on basic, powerful human emotions, which is the best argument anyone could make." - Spinal

Cut:

"My mom told me that she's seen a few dozen silent films in her life, and this was easily one of the lesser ones. I was happy to hear her say that, because I thought this was a shamelessly derivative meta gimmick that amounts to nothing more than a few really lazy jokes and a dog doing cute shit." - eternity

Rejected Terrence Malick Voiceover:


http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/1995/93557638.jpghttp://img543.imageshack.us/img543/5968/treesx.jpg
http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/5728/68304358.jpg
http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/5551/trees2m.jpghttp://img710.imageshack.us/img710/5372/86627228.jpg

[Boner M]

Amazeballs.

[baby doll]

Yes, how dare people really enjoy a movie they find engaging, wonderful, and funny! I think I got out of that movie more than I was actually expecting, to be honest. Keep being baffled and sad, though-its what we need you here for.Personally, I don't find the film engaging, wonderful, or funny, but mildly diverting, tired, and only momentarily amusing. It's a movie for people who find Alexander Payne too edgy and challenging.

[DavidSeven]

:lol:

Low angle shot of palm trees is too perfect. I'm reading all of these. Gold stars all around.

[Boner M]

5. Certified Copy

http://i41.tinypic.com/flhrv7.png

Match:

"...for as long as they kept it up, this non-relationship, this fake, this copy of a relationship, is as believable and exhilarating to watch as any other romance we’ve seen onscreen. Why shouldn’t it? Because we know that they’re not really a couple? We walk into every romantic movie performed by professional actors knowing that fact. Like so many of Kiarostami’s films, it strikes a spotlight at the line between fiction and reality. The memorable parting shot of Taste of Cherry shows Kiarostami and his film crew, revealing the facts behind the narrative. Certified Copy works in the reverse. The facts are laid bare, and then we’re required to abandon them... Or as the author argues to his fake wife before their imaginary nuptial: “Isn’t the original Mona Lisa also just a copy of the girl Leonardo Da Vinci painted?” Either way, it's an incredible work of art. You could say the same of this film." - number8

Cut:

"when even the film's defender's shout "It's not pretentious", you'd best believe that it most certainly is. Damn. It was difficult making it to the end of this dreck. Yeesh." - Russ

Rejected Terrence Malick Voiceover:

http://traveldk.com/dkimages/0-tuscany_master.jpg

"...copies, of copies, of copies...

...you, you thing of beauty and wonder, as plentiful as your original...

...what I mean is I didn't know I'd just banged your twin sister. Well played."

[Boner M]

Will post the final four tomorrow. You know the films... now guess the order!

[Raiders]

The Tree of Life
Drive
A Separation
Melancholia

[B-side]

Here's hoping I make it into the Match/Cut segments with something that reads vaguely intelligent.

[Dukefrukem]

So well done.

4. Drive
3. Melancholia
2. A Separation
1. The Tree of Life

[Spinal]

"...copies, of copies, of copies...

...you, you thing of beauty and wonder, as plentiful as your original...

...what I mean is I didn't know I'd just banged your twin sister. Well played."

Bravo. :lol:

[Lucky]

Bravo. :lol:

The speech bubble for that movie is also my favorite. :lol:

[dreamdead]

4. Melancholia
3. A Separation
2. The Tree of Life
1. Drive

My reasoning is that Drive appeared on several lists where ToL didn't...

[Ezee E]

1. Tree of Life
2. Drive
3. Melancholia
4. A Separation

[Stay Puft]

Uncle Boonmee in the top ten, Certified Copy and A Separation in the top five? Loving the results this year.

[Rowland]

Here's hoping I make it into the Match/Cut segments with something that reads vaguely intelligent.Yeah, if I'd known that nobody else would write anything about Nostalgia for the Light, I may have written more than one perfunctory sentence.

[Fezzik]

Based on what we think is coming up, I've seen only 9 of last year's top 20 ( 5 of the bottom ten, though. ouch).

[Rowland]

4. Melancholia
3. A Separation
2. The Tree of Life
1. Drive

My reasoning is that Drive appeared on several lists where ToL didn't...Without going back to the previous threads and looking, my impression has been that Drive has the most across-the-board support, whereas The Tree of Life has the more passionate fans. It's a split between those two, and otherwise I think you nailed 3 and 4.

[Stay Puft]

The only thing I wrote about Nostalgia for the Light was a joke about Men in Black. Weird that it's such a widely loved film here but there was never any actual discussion.

[Henry Gale]

1. War Horse
2. Cars 2 (C'mon, it's Pixar!)
3. Melancholia
4. Real Steel

[MadMan]

Here's hoping I make it into the Match/Cut segments with something that reads vaguely intelligent.I didn't care if what I wrote was intelligent, I'm just glad one of my burbs made it on the list :lol:


Personally, I don't find the film engaging, wonderful, or funny, but mildly diverting, tired, and only momentarily amusing. It's a movie for people who find Alexander Payne too edgy and challenging.I've liked two of Payne's films, but I don't find them edgy or challenging, per say. I didn't know that was a sharp criteria to liking movies, either. Maybe I'm just being a grumpy asshole at the moment: its that I have an issue with what you are saying, and not with you disliking movies I liked.

Even though I put The Artist in my Top 5, I'm pretty surprised to see it so high on this list.

[Boner M]

4. Melancholia

http://i40.tinypic.com/2qipvth.jpg

Match:

"Loved it. Don't know for sure if it trumps Antichrist in any way but in the resonance of its story and themes with me, but I will say I was very happy it was a return to his Dogme vivacity over Antichrist's aimless portent. I've always held negative opinions about ceremonies, from graduations to weddings (and I knew I had to see it in preface to the holiday today!), so the film being prominently an evisceration of any and all worldly contrivances and trivial sentimentality makes von Trier's screenplay an incredibly satisfying work of deep snark." - Bosco

Cut:

"I will readily admit I do not nor have I ever wrestled with depression. But I can say that if you're film exists solely to legitimize your own depressed view of our very existence and with the silly concerns we have in our everyday life (schedules, celebrations, taglines), then you'll have to understand when I call it a piece of crap." - Raiders

Rejected Terrence Malick Voiceover:

http://images.pictureshunt.com/pics/p/planet_earth-2735.jpg

"...naked, caressing myself, basking in the glow of this planet...

...but definitely not in a sexual way...

...this being a Malick voiceover and whatnot.

[Boner M]

3. A Separation

http://i44.tinypic.com/24liph5.png

Match:

"I've come to see A Separation as a film of different vantage points. One might say "separate" point of views, which are forcibly put into contact with one another. Often seen through windows and encased in frames, characters are often cornered into making choices that reflect upon their moral beliefs and judicial values, among other things. The reason why the deft twists and turns the narrative takes (which I don't wish to spoil) somehow registers as organic instead of contrived is due to the detailed characterizations that explore the actions of all those involved, whether they be major players or minor parts in the story. Farhadi thus shows the different ways characters view the ever-worsening and increasingly destructive situations they are put in, with distinctions of class, gender, and religion driving much of the conflict, sometimes all at the same time. Where Farhadi's humanism shines is not simply in detailing the differences among the characters (though it's clear that everyone has their reasons), but in his depiction of the similarities inherent in them: they yearn for integrity but are capable of deception, and even if they ultimately wish for the good of others, their selfishness causes them to, sometimes willfully, inflict harm." - elixir

Cut:

"...it had two major problems which kept me from loving it. One is the direction, which is at times so inspired (as elixir pointed out, in shooting its characters through windows and frames, or in the opening and closing sequences) but mostly so frustratingly point-and-shoot. The other is that the film feels pretty misogynistic. Long before the movie actually verbalizes it, I got the impression that Simin is ultimately to blame for everything that happens, and that feeling hangs around giving a bitter taste to its proceedings, and the revelation that Razieh kept secret (the way that's handled, in such an otherwise honest film, feels like a bit of a cheat) makes her out to be mostly culpable as well.." - StanleyK

Rejected Terrence Malick Voiceover:

http://www.bestourism.com/img/items/big/718/Iran_Tehran-view_2824.jpg

...Free Panahi and Rasoulof...

...can I say that as an omniscient voiceover without facing repercussions?

...and can I take off my headscarf too?

...ahh, so I can.

[Boner M]

2. Drive

http://i42.tinypic.com/15xsc5h.png

Match:

"This was excellent. A morally ambiguous, lovely, haunting story of a lost soul who dreams of being a hero. Ryan Gosling plays the Driver with precision, and his performance centers the film's retro-fantasyland, a fever dream of action film cliche and noir romance. While these inspirations are whittled down to the most basic of elements, Refn's construction of shots and emphasis on the unspoken invite viewers to consider the depths of characters built on archetype. Sometimes the excesses of the film go a little too far, specifically the violence and slow-motion." - Dead & Messed Up

Cut:

"At any rate, in the experience of watching it yesterday, nearly everything about it rubbed me the wrong way, except for the very opening. Generally, the music, the performances, the dialogue all left me cold or annoyed. It's clear that a separate set of things was communicated to me than was to a host of others. Gosling didn't come across as an 80s-millennial hero mashup in a consciously "European" (to crib from Brooks's character--my least favorite thing I've seen him do--I thought it was crap) update of samurai convention. He read to me like a borderline idiot, and later sociopath. The insistence on continued space and distance offered me precious little, and often felt laborious for laboriousness's sake. And the film's apparent emphasis on becoming a "real human being" is hard for me to swallow with what feels like the most cartoony-cum-brutal depiction of organized crime since Next Day Air's final act." - Sycophant

Rejected Terrence Malick Voiceover:

http://passionweiss.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/la.jpg

...O lord, what brings the same foot that presses down on an accelerator...

...to stomp the living shit out of some guy's head in an elevator?

...and Lord, can I still be all 'hey girl' after following this brute path of nature?

[Boner M]

1. The Tree of Life

http://i41.tinypic.com/2j3s7eg.png

Match:

"I have nothing but superlatives. So brace yourself.

First of all, it feels like the film that Malick was born to make. As if his whole career had led up to this moment. It is a beautiful crystalization of his own unique cinematic language. I absolutely adore how this film communicates. It feels like a throwback to a time when films dared to be large and important. And yet, it also feels progressive. It makes the use of narrative we see in most contemporary films seem hopelessly outmoded.

It skillfully replicates the way we recall our own lives: in a hazy assemblage of untidy memories. There are the moments of deep pain and sorrow that have seared themselves into our mind. There are the scarce moments of sheer joy that we desperately try to hold close. And then, forever lingering beneath it all are our doubts, our regrets, the questions that will never be answered satisfactorily.

All truly great films permanently alter the way we can perceive and process the world around us. They create a new lens through which we can understand our own lives. This, I believe, is such a film. Time will tell how the film is remembered by film lovers. But watching it for the first time, I had the suspicion that what I was watching might turn out to be something of a landmark." - Spinal

Cut:

"the entire film is rather poorly structured and the melody just ain't there. The cosmos sequence on its own is rather cobbled together (but rescued by a grandiose soundtrack that provides the illusion of cohesion - see a pattern here?) but seems poorly placed where it is, especially if it is supposed to reduce the sting of grief by showing where we truly stand in the great scheme of things. A valid idea - but the very nature of the opening, the abstract reveal of the death, the distancing in the way Malick has shot and edited the opening 10 minutes (Brad Pitt finding out by phone and we don't hear a word, for example) has already DONE the job of contextualizing the grief and minimizing it...by making it a heavily art directed tone poem.." - trans

Rejected Studio-Imposed Voiceover:

http://www.destination360.com/north-america/us/texas/images/s/texas-beach-party.jpg

Jack eventually grew up to be dissatisfied as an adult on account of his troubled relationship with his father and the death of his brother. Fortunately, Jack’s work as an adult for some genetic-engineering corporation allowed him to recreate his friends and family as loving beings, and they were all reunited for a joyous BEACH PARTY Y'ALL! And then they all lived happily ever after. The End

[Boner M]

I've got the full list of results at home, which I'll post later. Many thanks to Winston for his helping hand.

[Boner M]

1. Tree of Life
2. Drive
3. A Separation
4. Melancholia
5. Certified Copy
6. The Artist
7. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
8. Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives
9. The Descendants
10. Midnight in Paris
11. Hugo
12. Meek's Cutoff
13. Le Quattro Volte
14. Martha Marcy May Marlene
15. Super 8
16. Attack the Block
17. Rango
18. Nostalgia For the Light
19. Take Shelter
20. Moneyball

Premiere breakdown:

Cannes: 9 (Tree of Life, Drive, Melancholia, Certified Copy, The Artist, Uncle Boonmee, Midnight in Paris, Le Quattro Volte, Nostalgia For the Light)
General Release: 2 (Super 8, Rango)
Venice: 2 (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Meek's Cutoff)
Sundance: 2 (Martha Marcy May Marlene, Take Shelter)
New York: 1 (Hugo)
Berlin: 1 (A Separation)
Toronto: 1 (Moneyball)
Telluride: 1 (The Descendants)
SXSW: 1 (Attack the Block)

[Spinal]

Jack eventually grew up to be dissatisfied as an adult on account of his troubled relationship with his father and the death of his brother. Fortunately, Jack’s work as an adult for some genetic-engineering corporation allowed him to recreate his friends and family as loving beings, and they were all reunited for a joyous BEACH PARTY Y'ALL! And then they all lived happily ever after. The End

"See, Hollywood? Was that so hard?"

-- The asshole from the Huffington Post

[StanleyK]

I haven't watched many 2011 films.

1. The Tree of Life - ****
3. A Separation - ***
4. Melancholia - **½
5. Certified Copy - ****
7. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - ***½
8. Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives - ****
17. Rango - **½

Pretty surprised at The Artist and The Descendants. I figured these were films I could safely skip seeing in theaters, but I guess not.

[Watashi]

1. Tree of Life ****
2. Drive ****
3. A Separation ***½
4. Melancholia n/a
5. Certified Copy **½
6. The Artist **½
7. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy ***
8. Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives n/a
9. The Descendants **
10. Midnight in Paris ***½
11. Hugo ***½
12. Meek's Cutoff **½
13. Le Quattro Volte n/a
14. Martha Marcy May Marlene n/a
15. Super 8 ***
16. Attack the Block ***½
17. Rango ***½
18. Nostalgia For the Light n/a
19. Take Shelter ****
20. Moneyball ***½

Good job, Match Cut. The lack of Brad Bird is indeed troublesome.

[Boner M]

12. Meek's Cutoff **½
That's weird. I was about to put your comment where you called it 'great' down as the 'Match'.

[Stay Puft]

1. Tree of Life (***1/2)
2. Drive (**)
3. A Separation (***1/2)

5. Certified Copy (***1/2)

8. Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (***1/2)

12. Meek's Cutoff (***)
13. Le Quattro Volte (***1/2)

16. Attack the Block (**1/2)
17. Rango (***)
18. Nostalgia For the Light (***1/2)

I've only seen half of the films on the list but they're very strong films. Quite pleased with all the results this year.

[Watashi]

That's weird. I was about to put your comment where you called it 'great' down as the 'Match'.

My rating was originally 3 stars. I've slightly lowered my thoughts upon reflection. The film still looks gorgeous though.

[eternity]

1. Tree of Life 8
2. Drive 8
3. A Separation n/a
4. Melancholia 4
5. Certified Copy 7
6. The Artist 4
7. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy 5
8. Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives 7
9. The Descendants 9
10. Midnight in Paris 9
11. Hugo 8
12. Meek's Cutoff 6
13. Le Quattro Volte n/a
14. Martha Marcy May Marlene 9
15. Super 8 5
16. Attack the Block 6
17. Rango 7
18. Nostalgia For the Light n/a
19. Take Shelter n/a
20. Moneyball 8

1. Green Lantern 6
2. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides 3
3. Battle: Los Angeles n/a
4. The Hangover Part II 4
5. Cowboys & Aliens 1
6. The Help 3
7. Hobo with a Shotgun 6
8. Super 8
9. Paul 6
10. Transformers: Dark of the Moon 1

[Raiders]

1. Tree of Life [***½]
2. Drive [***½]
3. A Separation [***½]
4. Melancholia [*½]
5. Certified Copy [****]
6. The Artist [**]
7. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy [****]
8. Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives [N/A]
9. The Descendants [***]
10. Midnight in Paris [N/A]
11. Hugo [**½]
12. Meek's Cutoff [***½]
13. Le Quattro Volte [N/A]
14. Martha Marcy May Marlene [**]
15. Super 8 [***]
16. Attack the Block [**½]
17. Rango [***]
18. Nostalgia For the Light [N/A]
19. Take Shelter [N/A]
20. Moneyball [N/A]

[Spinal]

Excellent
Tree of Life
Super 8

Very Good
The Artist
Melancholia
Rango

Good
Drive
Martha Marcy May Marlene

OK
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives
Midnight in Paris
Hugo

[Derek]

Wow, I liked everything on the list, even Take Shelter which I probably should've given another ½ to just for Shannon's performance. The top 3 films are my 1, 4 and 2 of the year. I guess I'm a concensus whore this year.

1. Tree of Life ****
2. Drive ***½
3. A Separation ****
4. Melancholia ***
5. Certified Copy ***½
6. The Artist **½
7. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy **½
8. Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives ***½
9. The Descendants ***
10. Midnight in Paris ***
11. Hugo ***
12. Meek's Cutoff **½
13. Le Quattro Volte **½
14. Martha Marcy May Marlene ***½
15. Super 8 **½
16. Attack the Block ***
17. Rango ***½
18. Nostalgia For the Light ****
19. Take Shelter **
20. Moneyball **½

[MadMan]

1. Tree of Life-95
2. Drive-100
6. The Artist-96
9. The Descendants-95
10. Midnight in Paris-100
11. Hugo-98
15. Super 8-95
16. Attack the Block-90
20. Moneyball-95

Really I didn't expect to see this many movies from the Top 20. Many of the movies that cracked the list never came to my area, so I'm rather behind in that regard.

[Adam]

1. Tree of Life 7
2. Drive 8
3. A Separation 7
4. Melancholia 8
5. Certified Copy N/A
6. The Artist 6
7. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy 5
8. Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives 5
9. The Descendants 7
10. Midnight in Paris 4
11. Hugo 5
12. Meek's Cutoff N/A
13. Le Quattro Volte N/A
14. Martha Marcy May Marlene 7
15. Super 8 5
16. Attack the Block 6
17. Rango 4
18. Nostalgia For the Light 7
19. Take Shelter N/A
20. Moneyball 5

Yep, nice job. Top four is super solid, match-cut

[Rowland]

1. Tree of Life [****]
2. Drive [****]
3. A Separation [***½]
4. Melancholia [***½]
5. Certified Copy [****]
6. The Artist [N/A]
7. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy [N/A]
8. Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives [***½]
9. The Descendants [**]
10. Midnight in Paris [**½]
11. Hugo [**]
12. Meek's Cutoff [**½]
13. Le Quattro Volte [***½]
14. Martha Marcy May Marlene [***]
15. Super 8 [***]
16. Attack the Block [***½]
17. Rango [**½]
18. Nostalgia For the Light [***½]
19. Take Shelter [***½]
20. Moneyball [***]

Seven of my top ten are here, as well as bunch of others that I really liked, some I mixed feelings towards, and even the ones to which I gave negative scores weren't excessively so. Good stuff... still need to see The Artist and Tinker Tailer, which will happen soon.

[elixir]

1. Tree of Life - 10
2. Drive - 5
3. A Separation - 8
4. Melancholia - 6
5. Certified Copy - 8
6. The Artist - 5
7. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - 7
8. Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives - 8
9. The Descendants - 4
10. Midnight in Paris - 6
11. Hugo - 6
12. Meek's Cutoff - 7
13. Le Quattro Volte - 8
14. Martha Marcy May Marlene - 8
15. Super 8 - 5
16. Attack the Block - 7
17. Rango - 5
18. Nostalgia For the Light - 7
19. Take Shelter - n/a
20. Moneyball - 4

Good results! :)

[Qrazy]

1. Tree of Life-95
2. Drive-100
6. The Artist-96
9. The Descendants-95
10. Midnight in Paris-100
11. Hugo-98
15. Super 8-95
16. Attack the Block-90
20. Moneyball-95


lol!

[Henry Gale]

*Looks at Match Cut Top 20*


1. Tree of Life
2. Drive
3. A Separation
4. Melancholia
5. Certified Copy
6. The Artist
7. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
8. Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives
9. The Descendants
10. Midnight in Paris
11. Hugo
12. Meek's Cutoff
13. Le Quattro Volte
14. Martha Marcy May Marlene
15. Super 8
16. Attack the Block
17. Rango
18. Nostalgia For the Light
19. Take Shelter
20. Moneyball

*Looks at his own Top 20*

1. The Tree Of Life
2. Drive
3. Midnight In Paris
4. Hugo
5. Certified Copy
6. The Descendants
7. A Separation
8. Take Shelter
9. Melancholia
10. Rango
11. Hanna
12. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
13. Moneyball
14. Young Adult
15. Contagion
16. Attack The Block
17. The Skin I Live In
18. The Artist
19. Super 8
20. Martha Marcy May Marlene

I will simply say that I approve.

[MadMan]

lol!sI3fN5wvMtM

[DavidSeven]

1. Tree of Life - ***
2. Drive - ***

5. Certified Copy - ***1/2
6. The Artist - **1/2
7. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - *1/2

9. The Descendants - ***
10. Midnight in Paris - **1/2
11. Hugo - **1/2

15. Super 8 - **1/2

19. Take Shelter - **

20. Moneyball - **1/2

I like the results; I was just mostly underwhelmed this year.

[Winston*]

It's interesting that The Skin I Live in won a screenplay award in the Match Cut awards and then didn't appear in the top 20, while all 4 of its competitors did.

[Melville]

1. Tree of Life - 6
2. Drive - 8.5
4. Melancholia - 7.5
5. Certified Copy - 4.5
7. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - 7
8. Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives - 9
10. Midnight in Paris - 7
14. Martha Marcy May Marlene - 5
16. Attack the Block - 4.5

I was hoping to get the 'cut' quote for Tree of Life.

[baby doll]

I've liked two of Payne's films, but I don't find them edgy or challenging, per say.Yeah, that was supposed to be sarcasm, but I guess it doesn't come across that way when read on a message board.


I didn't know that was a sharp criteria to liking movies, either. Maybe I'm just being a grumpy asshole at the moment: its that I have an issue with what you are saying, and not with you disliking movies I liked.I suppose I don't have a problem with movies that want to be ingratiating and inoffensive, but if I genuinely thought that Allen's was one of the best movies released last year, I wouldn't be a cinephile.

[Raiders]

I suppose I don't have a problem with movies that want to be ingratiating and inoffensive, but if I genuinely thought that Allen's was one of the best movies released last year, I wouldn't be a cinephile.

Because obviously there is an objective opinion criteria for being a "cinephile."

[Dukefrukem]

Another disappointing MC list ho hum

out of 100

1. Tree of Life 66
2. Drive 91
3. A Separation 91
4. Melancholia 92
5. Certified Copy 90
6. The Artist N/A
7. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy 78
8. Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives 90
9. The Descendants 75
10. Midnight in Paris 80
11. Hugo 45
12. Meek's Cutoff 48
13. Le Quattro Volte N/A
14. Martha Marcy May Marlene N/A
15. Super 8 89
16. Attack the Block 91
17. Rango 86
18. Nostalgia For the Light N/A
19. Take Shelter N/A
20. Moneyball 50

[baby doll]

"[The Tree of Life] skillfully replicates the way we recall our own lives: in a hazy assemblage of untidy memories. There are the moments of deep pain and sorrow that have seared themselves into our mind. There are the scarce moments of sheer joy that we desperately try to hold close. And then, forever lingering beneath it all are our doubts, our regrets, the questions that will never be answered satisfactorily."-spinalWhether one thinks the film is successful or not (I'm somewhat agnostic), I find this unsatisfactory as an explanation for the movie's form. It suggests that the scenes have simply been thrown together in random order and could be rearranged in any sequence. Furthermore, it normalizes what is a very unconventional movie by saying, essentially, that the film is this way because memory is like that.

[Raiders]

Whether one thinks the film is successful or not (I'm somewhat agnostic), I find this unsatisfactory as an explanation for the movie's form. It suggests that the scenes have simply been thrown together in random order and could be rearranged in any sequence.

"Assemblage" does not equal "random." Spinal's point is that it does not recall any clear-eyed narrative arc but of a series of memories that build upon each other (including taking inspiration from the very beginning of creation itself) to amount to a specific feeling within Sean Penn's character that is culminated in his catharsis on the beach.


Furthermore, it normalizes what is a very unconventional movie by saying, essentially, that the film is this way because memory is like that.

Not sure how that "normalizes" the film unless you think this is the conventional method of filmmaking, but I would say the film is not wholly unique in its format of using a recollection of moments and events as the basis for its narrative. I don't think there is anything in that one sentence that removes the film's non-conventional storytelling.

[Fezzik]

I suppose I don't have a problem with movies that want to be ingratiating and inoffensive, but if I genuinely thought that Allen's was one of the best movies released last year, I wouldn't be a cinephile.

So there's no room for differing opinion? There are at least two movies in this year's Top Ten I purposely didn't see because I don't like the directors' styles. But everyone else seemed to love them.

So, who are the non-cinephiles? Those that loved the film, or someone like me who had no interest in seeing them?

Different strokes. Everyone has something they look for in films, and its rarely the same from person to person or film to film.

What you said just comes off (to me at least) as rather short-sighted.

[ContinentalOp]

Out of ****:
1. Tree of Life- N/A
2. Drive- ****
3. A Separation- N/A
4. Melancholia- N/A
5. Certified Copy- N/A
6. The Artist- *** 1/2
7. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy- ***
8. Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives- N/A
9. The Descendants- N/A
10. Midnight in Paris- ***
11. Hugo- N/A
12. Meek's Cutoff- N/A
13. Le Quattro Volte- N/A
14. Martha Marcy May Marlene- N/A
15. Super 8- **
16. Attack the Block- *** 1/2
17. Rango- N/A
18. Nostalgia For the Light- N/A
19. Take Shelter- N/A
20. Moneyball- N/A

Excellent top 20. And entertaining write-ups as usual. I have a lot to see.

[soitgoes...]

How I Would Rank Them
1. A Separation
2. Nostalgia For the Light
3. Tree of Life
4. Le Quattro Volte
5. Melancholia
6. Certified Copy
7. Drive
8. Rango
9. Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives
10. Moneyball
11. Meek's Cutoff
12. Take Shelter
13. Hugo
14. Midnight in Paris
15. Attack the Block
16. Super 8
17. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Haven't Seen
The Artist
The Descendants
Martha Marcy May Marlene

Overall pretty good list, but I really wish Poetry, Love Exposure and/or 13 Assassins would have made it. I know, big surprise that I want more Asian films to be represented.

[Gizmo]

1. Tree of Life 8
2. Drive 8
3. A Separation 8.5
4. Melancholia 8.5
5. Certified Copy 8.5
6. The Artist 9
7. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy n/a
8. Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives 6.5
9. The Descendants 8.5
10. Midnight in Paris n/a
11. Hugo 7.5
12. Meek's Cutoff 8
13. Le Quattro Volte n/a
14. Martha Marcy May Marlene n/a
15. Super 8 7
16. Attack the Block n/a
17. Rango 6
18. Nostalgia For the Light n/a
19. Take Shelter n/a
20. Moneyball 8.5


only seen 4 of the bottom 10, but other than The Help, I agree they're bad.

[Kiusagi]

1. Tree of Life - ***½
2. Drive - ****
6. The Artist - **½
7. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - ***½
8. The Descendants - ***
10. Midnight in Paris - ***
11. Hugo - ***
14. Martha Marcy May Marlene - **½
15. Super 8 - **½
17. Rango - ***
19. Take Shelter - ***
20. Moneyball - ***½

[Sycophant]

Excellent thread, Boner and Winston. Very impressed. Much lulz were had.


Another disappointing MC list ho hum

What was disappointing about it?

[Rowland]

What was disappointing about it?There were some movies on it he didn't like.

Six of your top ten were represented Duke, I think that's pretty solid from your perspective.

[TGM]

Of the Bottom 10, I saw 7 of them...

Cowboys & Aliens
The Hangover: Part II
Pirates of the Caribbean 4
Transformers: Dark of the Moon

... and actually liked 3 (shocking, I know):

Battle: Los Angeles
Green Lantern
The Help

Still, I can see how those movies landed on the list, so I've got no problems with that. As for the Top 20, I saw 12:

The Artist
Attack the Block
The Descendants
Drive
Hugo
Martha Marcy May Marlene
Melancholia
Midnight in Paris
Moneyball
Super 8
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
The Tree of Life

4 of them landed in my own Top 10 of the year (Drive, Hugo, The Artist, Super 8), and two were strong honorable mentions (The Descendants, MMMM). And of the rest, I generally liked all but one of them, which also just so happens to be the most loved movie of the year on this site (The Tree of Life). Overall, I'm pretty pleased with the results this year.

[Spinal]

Whether one thinks the film is successful or not (I'm somewhat agnostic), I find this unsatisfactory as an explanation for the movie's form. It suggests that the scenes have simply been thrown together in random order and could be rearranged in any sequence. Furthermore, it normalizes what is a very unconventional movie by saying, essentially, that the film is this way because memory is like that.

No, that's really not what I was saying.

[transmogrifier]

1. Tree of Life - 53
4. Melancholia - 71
10. Midnight in Paris - 50
14. Martha Marcy May Marlene - 70
15. Super 8 - 58
17. Rango - 64

[Ezee E]

1. Tree of Life - ***
2. Drive - ****
3. A Separation - ***
4. Melancholia - *** 1/2
5. Certified Copy - **
6. The Artist - ****
7. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
8. Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives
9. The Descendants - *** 1/2
10. Midnight in Paris - ** 1/2
11. Hugo - *** 1/2
12. Meek's Cutoff - ** 1/2
13. Le Quattro Volte
14. Martha Marcy May Marlene - ***
15. Super 8 - *** 1/2
16. Attack the Block - ***
17. Rango - ****
18. Nostalgia For the Light
19. Take Shelter - ** 1/2
20. Moneyball - *** 1/2

16/20.

No Contagion, Skin I Live In, or Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a bummer.

[baby doll]

So there's no room for differing opinion? There are at least two movies in this year's Top Ten I purposely didn't see because I don't like the directors' styles. But everyone else seemed to love them.

So, who are the non-cinephiles? Those that loved the film, or someone like me who had no interest in seeing them?

Different strokes. Everyone has something they look for in films, and its rarely the same from person to person or film to film.

What you said just comes off (to me at least) as rather short-sighted.The best case one can make for Allen's film is that it's a pleasant, diverting trifle. If that's your thing, enjoy; personally, I'd rather something see something more significant.

[MadMan]

Okay I'm now going to put "Proud Non-Cinephile" above my avatar. I'm honored, really. baby doll is actually managing to come off as more pretentious than the Tree of Life. Very nice.

[Qrazy]

I guess I don't watch new films anymore. I've only seen 6 of these movies.

[baby doll]

Okay I'm now going to put "Proud Non-Cinephile" above my avatar. I'm honored, really. baby doll is actually managing to come off as more pretentious than the Tree of Life. Very nice.Is what I said really unclear, or are you guys deliberately misreading me? I didn't say that people who liked Allen's film weren't cinephiles; only that if I really thought this were the best that cinema had to offer, I'd find something more worthwhile to do with my time.

[Dukefrukem]

There were some movies on it he didn't like.

Six of your top ten were represented Duke, I think that's pretty solid from your perspective.

I suppose your right. :)

That was a very negative way for me to think about it.

[Boner M]

Baby doll you are always the clear loser at these yearly consensus threads. I sincerely hope next year proves more fruitful

[MadMan]

Is what I said really unclear, or are you guys deliberately misreading me? I didn't say that people who liked Allen's film weren't cinephiles; only that if I really thought this were the best that cinema had to offer, I'd find something more worthwhile to do with my time.It was equal parts asshole-ish, snarky, and joking. Sometimes I try to work all of them into my posts, and fail at successfully executing all of them.

And nah I don't think that Midnight In Paris, despite getting a perfect score from me, is the best that cinema has to offer. None of the movies from the 2000s crack my Top 10 of All Time, and that is highly unlikely to change, ever.

[Ivan Drago]

1. Tree of Life - 10
2. Drive - 9.5
4. Melancholia - 8.5
6. The Artist - 8.5
7. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - 7
8. Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives - 8
9. The Descendants - 9
10. Midnight in Paris - 9.5
11. Hugo - 5
14. Martha Marcy May Marlene - 8
15. Super 8 - 7
17. Rango - 9
20. Moneyball - 7.5

13/20

Overall, I approve.

[Lucky]

Seen over half now, the rest are on my radar. Biggest exclusions of the list for me are The Skin I Live in, Margin Call, and Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

EXCELLENT
Melancholia
Take Shelter
Moneyball

GOOD
Tree of Life
Certified Copy
Drive
Midnight in Paris
Martha Marcy May Marlene

FAIR
Super 8
The Descendants

POOR
Le Quattro Volte

[Boner M]

Whoops, forgot to post the full list of every title voted for. Here y'are:


The Tree of Life – 404
Drive – 366
A Separation – 224
Certified Copy – 194
Melancholia – 180
The Artist – 172
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy – 139
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives - 137
The Descendents – 109
Midnight in Paris – 105
Hugo – 97
Meek's Cutoff - 92
Le Quattro Volte – 86
Martha Marcy May Marlene – 85
Super 8 – 71
Attack The Block - 71
Rango – 75
Nostalgia for the Light – 68
Take Shelter – 65
Moneyball - 62
The Skin I Live In – 61
Poetry – 56
Mission Impossible 4 - 54
Beginners - 54
Love Exposure – 50
Tomboy – 48
The Adventures of Tintin – 45
We Need To Talk About Kevin – 44
Rise of the Planet of the Apes - 43
Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – 42
Hanna - 38
Contagion – 38
The Guard - 37
Young Adult - 32
Pina – 28
Bridesmaids - 26
The Ides of March – 25
A Dangerous Method – 25
Another Earth - 25
Submarine – 25
Shame - 23
Mysteries of Lisbon - 23
Weekend - 23
Jane Eyre – 23
The Muppets – 20
X-Men: First Class - 20
Happy Feet 2 – 19
Snowballs - 18
Kung Fu Panda 2 - 18
Leap Year – 18
Margaret – 18
Terri – 17
Cave of Forgotten Dreams - 17
The Autobiography of Nicolae Ceausescu - 16
Sucker Punch – 15
Tabloid – 15
50/50 – 15
Life in a Day – 14
Harry Potter and the Death Hallows, Part 2 - 14
Into the Abyss – 14
Polytechnique – 13
The Names of Love – 13
Source Code – 13
Sleeping Beauty – 12
Of Gods and Men – 12
We Bought a Zoo – 11
Film socialism – 11
Restless – 11
Winnie the Pooh – 11
Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil - 10
The Time That Remains: Chronicle of a Present Absentee - 10
Honey - 10
Le Havre – 10
I Saw the Devil – 10
Outrage – 10
Thor - 9
House of Tolerance – 9
The Fab Five – 9
Tuesday, After Christmas – 9
Immortals – 8
Kinyarwanda – 8
Captain America: The First Avenger - 8
Cold Fish – 8
Pariah – 8
Heartbeats – 8
Warrior – 8
Everything Must Go – 7
Mildred Pierce - 7
The Help - 7
Super - 7
Rampart – 7
The Future - 6
A Screaming Man - 6
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows - 6
The Trip - 6

[B-side]

The Descendants makes it with ease while Hanna, Contagion, Mysteries of Lisbon, The Adventures of Tintin, Immortals, A Dangerous Method, etc. get snubbed completely.

[Raiders]

4. Certified Copy – 194
5. Melancholia – 180

Hmmmmmm....

[Boner M]

The Descendants makes it with ease while Hanna, Contagion, Mysteries of Lisbon, The Adventures of Tintin, Immortals, A Dangerous Method, etc. get snubbed completely.
Well, it's better than Hanna at least.

[Derek]

The Descendants makes it with ease while Hanna, Contagion, Mysteries of Lisbon, The Adventures of Tintin, Immortals, A Dangerous Method, etc. get snubbed completely.

It's better than all of those except Mysteries of Lisbon. Haven't seen Immortals, but c'mon dude.

[Derek]

Hmmmmmm....

MatchCut scandal!!!

[Boner M]

That said, B-Side kinda has a point in that I can't see Descendants (or Hugo, Moneyball, Midnight in Paris for that matter) faring as well when the next 2011 consensus is conducted and we've all seen more films from last year.

[Boner M]

MatchCut scandal!!!
http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lpul3idNBZ1qb91sto1_r1_ 500.gif

[MadMan]

http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lpul3idNBZ1qb91sto1_r1_ 500.gifIsn't that from Final Destination 3?

Hanna and The Descendants are the only two films I saw out of the ones Brightside mentioned. I'm guessing that Immortals wasn't very popular around here, and I heard mixed things about A Dangerous Method. Still want to see both, though.

[Boner M]

Isn't that from Final Destination 3?
Yep. Best match-cut ever.

[B-side]

Well, it's better than Hanna at least.

Not a chance. Payne's formal tedium vs. Wright's dynamic direction? Payne has no eye whatsoever. At least Hanna is well shot.

[Derek]

Not a chance. Payne's formal tedium vs. Wright's dynamic direction? Payne has no eye whatsoever. At least Hanna is well shot.

Payne's a better writer than director, I'll grant you that, but Wright's "dynamic direction" is little more than snazzy window dressing on a shallow, burned-down shack. It's style for the sole purpose of style and while it makes for a few thrilling sequences, it gets old over the course of 2 hours. At least Payne knows how to structure a film and build some thematic resonance.

[Boner M]

Payne's formal tedium vs. Wright's dynamic direction?
I believe the term for this attitude is 'vulgar formalism'.

[B-side]

Payne's a better writer than director, I'll grant you that, but Wright's "dynamic direction" is little more than snazzy window dressing on a shallow, burned-down shack. It's style for the sole purpose of style and while it makes for a few thrilling sequences, it gets old over the course of 2 hours. At least Payne knows how to structure a film and build some thematic resonance.

I don't really know what it means to have "style for the sole purpose of style". Film is style. Style is the paint on the cinematic canvas. I felt zero resonance from Payne's allegedly worthwhile themes. Wright's dynamic direction grants standard action material a gravitas and pertinence. Payne's writing is middlebrow indie sensibilities, and that combined with his lackluster direction make for a thoroughly uninteresting film. There's no sting or uniqueness to Payne's shtick. Just tiring pleasantries. The narrative of Hanna doesn't concern me much at all. Wright's formal talent is what brings it to life and makes it such an engaging watch.

[B-side]

I believe the term for this attitude is 'vulgar formalism'.

What is film if not craft? I'm interested in how directors make use of the medium. Maybe Payne should be writing mediocre novels for pseudo-depressed 20-somethings.

[MadMan]

Yep. Best match-cut ever.I've only seen that entire scene on Youtube. I should watch the Final Destination movies at some point-they seem like a great deal of fun. Well by slasher movie standards, really.

Hanna was great as was The Descendants, but I felt that The Descendants had better acting was a better script. I didn't mind Hanna's plot problems simply because the movie is an action film, and an really intelligent one at that so its flaws are easy to glance over.

[Boner M]

Maybe Payne should be writing mediocre novels for pseudo-depressed 20-somethings.
Considering his films are largely about midlife crises, this is a rather bizarre suggestion.

[B-side]

Considering his films are largely about midlife crises, this is a rather bizarre suggestion.

Are his fans generally middle-aged? I don't know. I was trying to be funny. Don't take this from me.

[B-side]

Because I feel compelled to defend myself against Boner's claim of vulgar formalism: I don't wanna take anything away from the thematic resonance of great motion pictures. But I find it hard to separate thematic content from formal content, so when I speak of form, I speak of theme, or narrative, or whatever non-material substance therein. I guess in that sense I'd compare film to architecture more than painting in terms of artistry.

[Winston*]

I go back and forth in what I compare film to. At the moment I see it as somewhere between a 13th century manuscript and a hot air balloon.

[MadMan]

Considering his films are largely about midlife crises, this is a rather bizarre suggestion.I've liked the two movies I've seen from him so far. Maybe I'm having a mid life crisis already at 26 :P :sad:

[Boner M]

I go back and forth in what I compare film to. At the moment I see it as somewhere between a 13th century manuscript and a hot air balloon.
Ahh, a bit of the ol' Vulgar Air Balloonism then.

[Ezee E]

Ahh, a bit of the ol' Vulgar Air Balloonism then.
Winston definitely just saw Do The Right Thing.

[Winston*]

Winston definitely just saw Do The Right Thing.

I don't follow.

[kuehnepips]

I guess I don't watch new films anymore. I've only seen 6 of these movies.

6? I've seen none. :lol:

[MadMan]

6? I've seen none. :lol:That's okay, Nada. You're here for greater purposes, such as passing around the bottle and being awesome.

[kuehnepips]

Priceless. :lol:

*passes bottle*

[Grouchy]

Yo, Paul was a great deal better than Super 8.

[Boner M]

Yo, Paul was a great deal better than Super 8.
I didn't even like Super 8 but shit, son.

[MadMan]

Priceless. :lol:

*passes bottle**Drinks. Passes it along* :pritch: