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Post by Mighty Jack on Jul 27, 2012 23:23:23 GMT -5
2008Synecdoche, New York (Director: Charlie Kaufman)Nominees: The Dark Knight, Let the Right One In, Still Walking, Man on Wire, Iron Man, Wendy and Lucy, Goodbye Solo, Gran Torino, Somers Town, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Slumdog Millionaire, The Wrestler Oscars pick: Slumdog MillionaireNominees: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Frost/Nixon, Milk, The Reader Going over the year I was finding one wonderful movie after another. I accumulated so many that I finally had to force myself to stop at 12 nominees (which doesn’t include the popular WALL-E – a film I thought was phenomenal at the start, before it slipped into the standard Pixar formula - extended slapstick chase sequence stuff and all. Among animation releases, Sita Sings the Blues was its better – though ineligible for Oscar consideration as it was tied up in legalities over it’s use of PD music). 08 offered small treasures – from the neo-realism of Wendy and Lucy, which features Michelle Williams at her finest. And the warm and funny Somers Town, which simply follows two boys who become friends and fall for a beautiful waitress. And there were big blockbusters. The Superhero genre saw the release of the two of its very best – the bright and funny Iron Man, and the grim, thematic masterpiece, The Dark Knight, which overshadowed “Begins” and set a new standard for comic book movie maturity and excellence. It was also buoyed by standout Oscar winning performance from Heath Ledger as the demented Joker and is highlighted by one breathtaking scene after another (ala the car chase through Gotham) The best foreign fare of the year was Let the Right One In. A Swedish vampire film about the friendship between a withdrawn, bullied boy and a little girl... who isn't a little girl. It's sparse, stylish, haunting - very atmospheric and in a strange way, beautiful. Not a good vampire flick if all you want is slam bam violence and gore in your horror films (though that is present)... but if you can appreciate the poetic melancholy infused throughout the piece, you might become as enthralled by it as I was. "Let the Right One In" is ranked among my top 10 favorite films from the decadeNot far behind it was Hirokaza Kore-eda brilliant, thought provoking Still Walking – a film that recalls Ozu's examinations on the family dynamic, especially in the way the camera work and movement was so fascinatingly choreographed. There was also great documentaries, among them Man on Wire. Which is a look at a high wire performer who crossed the twin towers. Best picture winner Slumdog Millionaire? Yeah, I liked it a lot and am okay with it winning, but I liked other movies more. At the top of the list is Writer Charlie Kaufman's directorial début Synecdoche, New York - and while It divided viewers and crashed at the box office - I think it's the best film in a year loaded with movies I prize. And yet, how to describe something so unorthodox, so... huge in scope? Its bizarre, unsettling - time is out of balance (some characters age, while others don't). It’s about loss and missed opportunities and self-destructive tendencies -- and it expresses ideas about the mundane, empty nature of life, and the need to live life to the fullest. Philip Seymour Hoffman plays a troubled theatrical director, Caden Cotard, who searches for authenticity by re-creating his world in a play, set in a massive warehouse+. So you have an exploration of a life within a life within a life. It's an ambitious film that attempts to examine existence in all its intricacies. I was awestruck and challenged to think. With its many layers, it imparts something new with each viewing. The film is astonishing - it can be irritating, solipsistic - it's bitingly funny and sadly tragic - It's confounding and wonderful. It's extremely detailed (look in the backgrounds, note small items like the two newsstand sets, one completely functional, the other –indicating your in the set within the set, just being built). It's impossible to view this passively and without introspection. It's a film that is very personal, and because of that it's not something one can be completely objective about. People loathe it, or they hail it as the greatest film of the decade. I personally am so blown away by it, that it overshadows even my high regard for Let the Right One In and the Dark Knight. It's the 8 ½ of our age and my winner for the Felix. Other movies I enjoyed (and not mentioned above) include: Ghost Town, Mrs. Pettigrew Lives for a Day, In Bruges, Chocolate, Frozen River, Summer Hours, Happy-Go-Lucky, Wanted, Revolutionary Road, Doubt, Everlasting Moments, Frost/Nixon, Bolt, Departures, A Christmas Tale, The Bank Job, Definitely, Maybe, The Cove, The Class and the Visioneers. + Cotard, as Aaron Hillis put it, “Is deteriorating physically, artistically, romantically, spiritually... (he is) wrestling with onscreen angst from the deepest, most depressing of human worries: the finite constraints of creativity, love and mortality, and whether existence itself is at all relevant.
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Post by Mighty Jack on Jul 30, 2012 23:21:11 GMT -5
And here we come down to the final week... 2009The Secret of Kells (Director: Tomm Moore)Nominees: The Secret in Their Eyes, An Education, Up in the Air, The Girlfriend Experience, Two Lovers, (500) Days of Summer, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Star Trek, Sin Nombre. Broken Embraces Oscars pick: The Hurt Locker Nominees: Avatar, The Blind Side, District 9, An Education, Inglourious Basterds, Precious, A Serious Man, Up, Up in the Air In 2009 there wasn't one monster work of genius - there was however a block of superb movies. So many that I l named 40 titles in my list of favorites, and everything on that list is pretty much on equal footing. My #3 film, ( An Education) is of the same quality as my #10 ( (500) Days of Summer) or my 22nd ( A Prophet). An odd one that I find myself drawn to more and more, is a film that received a lukewarm reception, The Men Who Stare At Goats is compelling, funny and strange (somewhat) true tale based on the militaries interest in psychics. What I loved most about it are its interesting characters -- 2009 was like that, it was notable for the interesting people it featured: Whether they be the Roller Derby team in Whip It or the man with aspergers in the romantic Adam or the call girl in Steven Soderberg's The Girlfriend Experience. As for my picture of the year? It was a colorful bit of Irish legend -- In The Secret of Kells, a boy attempts to preserve and protect the wisdom found in a sacred book. Kells is the freshets, most exciting animated feature I've seen since Miyazaki produced the one/two punch of Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away --- The animation is 2 dimensional, stylized to look like the Gaelic art found in the actual book of Kells. The colors are beautiful; the details are not only aesthetically pleasing, but also incorporate Irish history and imagery (the snowflakes are Celtic symbols- visual allusions to St. Patrick vs. Crom are seen). The lush, magical scenes in the forest with Aisling the wolf-girl are my favorite moments both artistically and story-wise. Also: The voices don’t come from Hollywood and have that genuine Irish lilt. The ending defeats some critics, as the book doesn’t actually do anything. But to me it’s not about a spectacular Earth shattering finish, but about the idea of spreading art, beauty and illumination in a climate rife with ignorance, greed and fear. If you're an Irishman like me and cherish your Irish history and folklore this is a must see. And if you love animation for the sake of the animation alone... ditto Oscar wise I wasn’t as wowed by its best animated feature winner, Pixars UP, which –like WALL-E - had a brilliant opening sequence, before de-evolving into the standard Pixar madcap chase sequence. I’m getting bored with the formula. I disliked best picture nominee The Blind Side, was not fond of A Serious Man -- thought District 9 and Inglourious Basterds were both fair but not stunning. Big winner The Hurt Locker was at times brilliant, but it got into a repetitive groove –guy would do something intense followed by a quiet scene at the base- back and forth with this until I grew numb to it all. The film does finish strong with a scene in the States, and had a great finale. I did admire the Hurt Locker, though I don't consider it the years best (but how cool that a female director finally got some Oscar props.) Other movies I enjoyed (and haven’t mentioned yet) include: Watchmen, Zombieland, The Messenger, Mother, Flickan, Fish Tank, A Town Called Panic, Sunshine Cleaning, Timer, The Exploding Girl, Moon, Young Victoria, Bright Star, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, Julie and Julia, Ponyo, Monsters vs. Aliens, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Avatar, Coraline, Last Train Home, September Issue and Air Doll
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Post by Mighty Jack on Aug 1, 2012 0:25:17 GMT -5
Things get trickier here as a lot of foreign fare has yet to be released in the States, ala the Cat in Paris (2010) or A Separation (2011) 2010Winter's Bone (Director: Debra Granik) Nominees: In A Better World, The Hereafter, Inception, True Grit, Rabbit Hole, Blue Valentine, Let Me In, Skeletons, Black Swan, Toy Story 3 Oscars pick: The King’s SpeechNominees: The Black Swan, The Fighter, Inception, The Kids Are All Right, 127 Hours, The Social Network, Toy Story 3, True Grit, Winter’s Bone 2010 was all about the ladies. A lean year that nevertheless yielded several outstanding films... but only a handful I'd categorize as great. And women directed my two at the top. Winter's BoneIncredible film - which offers something you don’t see a lot in the movies; strong, complex female characters. Jennifer Lawrence plays a girl from the Ozarks who is searching for her missing drug dealer father, in order to keep from losing the family home. The production is understated -kind of Earthy poetic- there an undercurrent of ever present tension and a sense of danger. While it tells a bleak, hard story, it still provides a feeling of hopefulness. Lawrence was a revelation. She is utterly convincing playing Ree - young but tough - Determined to keep her family together and hold on to their small spot of land, and struggling to keep herself free from the drugs that are so part of the culture she’s grown up in. I like the authentic look and tone of the piece; it was filmed in the hardscrabble Missouri hills, using real houses and casting of local people. It feels genuine, the homes looked lived in, the people are weather worn, with unpolished faces full of character. The distinct language, even overall sound is a landscape that lends texture to the film. I've seen it described as Hillbilly gangster rural Noir, which sounds as good a description as any, but it also has elements of fable – it's the model of the quest-type saga: The journey rife with hardship - secrets unearthed – the mentor guide, and an obtained talisman that will set our hero free. In A Better WorldSusan Bier has shot into my upper favorites for directors/screenwriters. Though I felt she stumbled in her one directorial effort in the States (the flawed, "Things We Lost in the Fire"), everything else I've seen is completely absorbing and leaves me feeling like I was on an emotional roller coaster. This well deserved Oscar winner for Best Foreign film is about revenge (and abuse of power). And all the forms it takes. But it's also about empathy and forgiveness. Susan takes no sides, gives no pat answers, she simply allows the characters do what they will. It's up to them to react or turn the other cheek. Some find Bier’s movies contrived, and they are to a degree, but for a purpose. I find her moral conundrums thought provoking and moving. Her stories stick with me. I can't stop pondering them, and this film was no exception. The Kings Speech was okay, nice acting but the story wasn’t anything special (and it certainly didn’t deserve the best direction Oscar). The critics choice, the Social Network, I didn't care for. And because people always ask me why, I'll tell ya -- With a few exceptions, I am not fond of Arron Sorkin's screenwriting, I find him severely manipulative, heavy handed, stagy, forced and unnatural. Plus I simply don't enjoy spending time with all these entitled dickweeds and could care less about their story. Unlike something like 2001: A Space Odyssey, where I can see the appeal – I see the sharp direction and beautiful production values, even if it all leaves me cold (and I wish it didn’t, I wish I could experience it through the eyes of those who appreciate it in full). But The Social Network? No -- straight down the line I disliked this movie with a passion. Interestingly I nominated two remakes of movies I nominated in their original form. True Grit and Let Me In (Let the Right One In) Other movies I liked include: Easy A, Kick-Ass, Megamind, How to Train Your Dragon, Mysteries of Lisbon, Cyrus, Welcome to the Rileys, Troll Hunter, Barney’s Version, Shutter Island, Another Year, Fair Game, Flipped, The Secret World of Arriety, The Illusionist, Defendor, The American, The Runaways, The Kings Speech, The Disappearance of Alice Creed, Cave of Forgotten Dreams, The Eclipse.
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Torgo
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Post by Torgo on Aug 1, 2012 0:31:07 GMT -5
Other movies I liked include: The Eclipse. Note to MJ: You just included a film called "Eclipse" on your list of favorite films of 2010. You might want to save face here.
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Post by Mighty Jack on Aug 1, 2012 0:55:20 GMT -5
I had no clue what you were talking about until I looked it up. lol - No my Eclipse is an Irish drama-romance-ghost story
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Post by Mighty Jack on Aug 1, 2012 23:09:18 GMT -5
2011Hugo - in 3D (Director: Martin Scorsese)Nominees: A Separation, Midnight in Paris, House of Pleasures, X-Men First Class, Take Shelter, Source Code, Moneyball, Trust, The Skin I Live In Oscars pick: The ArtistNominees: The Descendants, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, The Help, Hugo, Midnight in Paris, Moneyball, Tree of Life, War Horse 2011 was a year where film looked nostalgically upon itself, in The Artist, My Week With Marylyn, Hugo and, in casting a wider net to include art and music, Midnight in Paris. I waited longer than Oscar did to finally award Scorsese -- such an odd thing considering his brilliant contributions to the world of cinema. My favorites from the man came in strong years where I preferred another -- and in weaker years, what he offered wasn't his best (or rather, a favorite of mine). He just never seemed to be at the right place at the right time... until now. Hugo is about things and people who are forgotten, and rediscovered, the story concerns an orphaned boy who endeavors to repair an automaton his dad was working on before he died. And its centered around one of film's great innovators, the father of special effects if you will, George Melais – which is why if ever there was a picture that should have been filmed in 3D, using every FX trick in the book, it's Hugo. The movie is a love letter to the magic of motion pictures and to the people who make dreams come alive (and used every invention at their disposal to do so) The 3D is quite stunning. Not only for the depth of field, but also for those scenes that mirror silent film techniques (a character falls and you see footsteps above her, ala Hitchcock's The Lodger) as well as modern flourishes, such as a beautiful moment where papers spin around our young lead actors. Scorsese also has fun with it, especially with close-ups (as in a scene in a bathtub). The movie looks good in 2D, but it was a wonder in 3. While I'm no shill for 3D or CGI, I'm not a hater either -- it's a tool, it can be good or bad. Like other new tools (such as the digital Red 1 or the Panavision Genesis cameras that have been introduced in the past decade or so) there's a learning curve and some experimentation that goes into it before they perfect the use of said tool. And while I certainly don't want to see everything in that format - Scorsese, like Herzog with Cave of Forgotten Dreams - didn't use it as a gimmick, but as an essential piece of the filmmaking puzzle. And I'm selecting Hugo as a theatrical 3D feature, my first under that criterion. The effect was woven into the production and was as key to the storytelling process as score, editing, lighting, and so forth. Anyhoo -- Performances are strong, direction and Oscar winning cinematography from Robert Richardson is without peer - and I like that the movie isn’t cynical. It's a good family film with a good heart. In one scene, after Hugo takes his young friend Isabelle to see her first motion picture, she later thanks him and adds... "It was a gift." That sums up this movie and the film going experience in total, perfectly. And it's appropriate that this Blog series concludes on this note. While there were a lot of movies I liked in 2011, only one mounted a serious challenge to Hugo and that was Woody Allen's magical Midnight in Paris, my favorite from the director since Crimes and Misdemeanors in 1989. Oscar winner The Artist was good, though I was a bit disappointed that it wasn't great. It's a cute, pleasant little film. Note: Since writing this up I've seen and added two amazing foreign films, "A Separation" and "House of Pleasures". I will give fuller overviews in my look at the 2011 year in film. Other's I liked on the year include, Harry Potter, The Descendants, Tree of Life, Super, The Adjustment Bureau, Martha Marcy May Marlene, Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy, Contagion, The Ides of March, The Adventures of Tiintin, Limitless, Griff the Invisible, Rio, Another Earth, Mozart’s Sister, Project Nim, Le Havre, Tyrannosaur, BuckSo that's it. I started this is March, and it's been a fun journey to August. Up next, list, lists and more lists.
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Post by Mighty Jack on Aug 1, 2012 23:09:45 GMT -5
2012Ruby Sparks (Directors: Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris)Nominees: Zero Dark Thirty, Moonrise Kingdom, Searching For Sugarman, The Invisible War, Cabin in the Woods, Cosmopolis, Avengers, Looper, Amour Oscars pick: ArgoNominees: Amour, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Django Unchained, Les Misérables, Life of Pi, Lincoln, Silver Linings Playbook, Zero Dark Thirty Oscars choice, Argo, was gripping and I liked it well enough. I just thought it pushed the manipulation/tension buttons too hard. After a while I was like "Just get 'em into the damn air Ben!" Yeesh, I was half expecting a man to show up on the wing of the plane... just to keep suspense rolling. Looking over the Academy's nominations: most of them I liked, but didn't love. Silver Linings Playbook for example, started off fantastic, but it slipped into conventional rom-com waters at the end and stop being special. The two from Oscar that stood out for me... Amour. I'm not a Michael Haneke fan, but this was very well done. It dragged a bit, the director was likely shooting for a certain measured rhythm, a kin to what Dryer would do. But I don't find Hanake as accomplished with the technique. The story is brutal. I've seen many films about death, but I've rarely seen one a raw and painful as this. I also greatly admired Zero Dark Thirty - the nail biting look at the hunt for bin Laden. I reject the notion that this is pro torture, as much as I rejected the criticism that Hurt Locker was pro war. It simply presents the act as fact. I'm glad the writer/director didn't play the apologist, but instead simply shows us this action and these people, and the cost this hunt exacted on them. Bigelow takes some dramatic license with the material, but not to the detriment of the whole, you still get a sense of what happened. Beyond that, it's prime filmmaking. I think it's a better paced, better directed and scripted film than Hurt Locker and it was my pick among the Oscar nominees. As for the Felix noms... 2013 gave us some wonderful documentaries: topping my list was a captivating piece about a forgotten songwriter, Searching For Sugar Man (which took home an Oscar), and the heartbreaking The Invisible War. Joss Whedon was king, with his scripted Cabin in the Woods and the superhero blockbuster Marvels: The Avengers, which he directed I also nominated the thought provoking Cosmopolis from David Cronenberg, the smart and original time traveling crime saga, Looper (think Martin Scorsese directing the Twilight Zone) and Wes Anderson's warmly engaging Moonrise Kingdom. But there was one I kept coming back to, and it's an unlikely victor. Ruby Sparks is a dark horse I know. While it received good notices and made a few top 10 lists, I never saw it top those lists. But I fell madly in love with it. Zoe Kazan (The Exploding Girl) wrote and co-stars with Paul Dano in a story about a brilliant writer named Calvin who has been unable to follow up on his highly acclaimed first novel. In the midst of this creative block, he finds inspiration in a dream about a young woman. Soon after, the girl he created on the page springs to life in the real world. Everything is peaches and cream in their relationship, until the flesh and blood Ruby starts to think for herself. Which causes Calvin to type up a series of rewrites. This is a small but thoughtful film that yes, addresses male dominance in relationships and the pitfalls of romanticizing femininity - loving the idea and the ideal, rather than respecting the individual, warts and all and allowing them to be who they are. But it also broadens its scope and offers a remarkably wise exploration of the relationship dynamic as a whole. In showing us how joyous and healing love can be, but also how our insecurities fuel the neuroses that slowly chip away at that affection. With performances that are honest, and an intelligent script that manages to be both charming and cutting, Ruby Sparks is something special. Delving deeper than traditional romantic comedies, It's not just cotton candy fluff; it's substantive and perceptive. Other films I enjoyed in 2012: Dark Knight Rises, Silver Linings Playbook, Wreck it Ralph, Hunger Games, Farewell My Queen, Celeste and Jessie Forever, Perks of Being a Wallflower, Lincoln, Life of Pi, Ai Wei Wei: Never Sorry, A Royal Affair
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Post by Mighty Jack on Aug 1, 2012 23:13:02 GMT -5
This spot reserved for 2013
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Torgo
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Post by Torgo on Aug 2, 2012 1:04:31 GMT -5
No spot reserved for 2014 becaus MJ expects the end of the world will be a year late.
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Post by Mighty Jack on Aug 2, 2012 1:50:57 GMT -5
Criswell predicts! By 2014 the Internet and this message board will be no more. It shall be replaced by a computer chip in your eyeball.
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Post by Mighty Jack on Aug 2, 2012 1:54:50 GMT -5
The Felix'sWith a few close runner ups -- yellow indicates years where Oscar and Felix agree. And to read the piece from the start, Click here1917-18 – The Blue Bird (United States) 1918-19 – Broken Blossoms (United States) 1919-20 – The Cabinet of Dr. Caligary (Germany) 1920-21 – The Phantom Carriage (Sweden) 1921-22 – Nosferatu (Germany) 1922-23 – La Roue (France) 1923-24 – Why Worry? (United States) 1924-25 – Greed (United States) 1925-26 – Battleship Potemkin (Russia) 1926-27 – The General (United States) 1927-28 – The Passion of Joan of Arc (France) 1928-29 – Man With a Movie Camera (aka: Living Russia) (Russia) - The Wind 1929-30 – All Quiet on the Western Front (United States) 1930-31 – L’Age d’Or (France) 1931-32 – Scarface (United States) 1932-33 – Queen Christina (United States) 1934 – L’Atalante (France) 1935 – The Thirty-Nine Steps (UK) 1936 – Swing Time (United States) 1937 – Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (United States) - Pepe le Moko 1938 – Bringing Up Baby (United States) 1939 – The Wizard of Oz (United States) 1940 – The Grapes of Wrath (United States) 1941 – Citizen Kane (United States) 1942 – Casablanca (United States) 1943 – Ox-Bow Incident (United States) -- Day of Wrath 1944 – The Miracle of Morgan's Creek (United States) 1945 – Children of Paradise (France) 1946 – The Best Years of Our Lives (United States) - Notorious 1947 – Black Narcissus (UK) 1948 – Bicycle Thieves (Italy) - The Red Shoes 1949 – The Third Man (UK) 1950 – In A Lonely Place (United States) – Orpheus & Sunset Blvd 1951 – A Streetcar Named Desire (United States) 1952 – Ikiru (Japan) 1953 – Tokyo Story (Japan) 1954 – On the Waterfront & Seven Samurai (United States/Japan) - Rear Window & La Strada 1955 – Diabolique (France) - Ordet 1956 – The Searchers (United States) 1957 – The Seventh Seal (Sweden) - Wild Strawberries 1958 – Vertigo (United States) 1959 – North by Northwest (United States) 1960 – The Apartment (United States) 1961 – Viridiana (Spain) 1962 – To Kill a Mockingbird (United States) 1963 – 8 ½ (Italy) 1964 – Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (UK) - A Hard Days Night & Gamlet 1965 – Doctor Zhivago (United States and Italy) 1966 – Persona (Sweden) 1967 – The Graduate (United States) 1968 – Once Upon A Time in the West (Italy) - Romeo & Juliet & Petulia 1969 – Z (France and Algeria) 1970 – Five Easy Pieces (United States) - The Conformist 1971 – McCabe and Mrs. Miller (United States) - Harold and Maude 1972 – Last Tango in Paris (Italy) 1973 – Day For Night (France) 1974 – Chinatown (United States) 1975 – Jaws (United States) 1976 – Cría cuervos (Spain) 1977 – Annie Hall (United States) 1978 – Days of Heaven (United States) 1979 – Alien (United States & UK) – The Marriage of Maria Braun 1980 – Ordinary People (United States) – Atlantic City 1981 – Das Boot (Germany) 1982 – Fitzcarraldo (Germany) 1983 – Videodrome (Canada) – The King of Comedy 1984 – This is Spinal Tap (United States) 1985 – Brazil (UK) 1986 – Mona Lisa (UK) 1987 – Wings of Desire (Germany) 1988 – The Accidental Tourist (United States) 1989 – sex, lies, and videotape (United States) – When Harry Met Sally & Crimes and Misdemeanors 1990 – The Nasty Girl (Germany) 1991 – Raise the Red Lantern (China, Taiwan, Hong Kong) 1992 – Unforgiven (United States) 1993 – Schindler’s List (United States) 1994 – Three Colors: Red (France, Poland, Sweden) 1995 – The Usual Suspects (United Sates) 1996 – Fargo (United States) 1997 – Princess Mononoke (Japan) – L.A. Confidential 1998 – Dark City (United States & Australia) 1999 – American Beauty (United States) 2000 – Yi Yi (Taiwan & Japan) 2001 – The Royal Tenenbaums (United States) 2002 – Talk to Her (Spain) – The Man Without a Past & The Quiet American 2003 – Lost in Translation (United States & Japan) 2004 – Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (United States) – Million Dollar Baby 2005 – Batman Begins (United States) 2006 – Pan's Labyrinth (Spain & Mexico) 2007 – Once (Ireland) 2008 – Synecdoche, New York (United States) - Dark Knight & Let the Right One In 2009 – The Secret of Kells (France, Belgium, Ireland) 2010 – Winter’s Bone (United States) 2011 – Hugo (United States)
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Torgo
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Post by Torgo on Aug 2, 2012 2:00:49 GMT -5
Criswell predicts! By 2014 the Internet and this message board will be no more. It shall be replaced by a computer chip in your eyeball. LOL. I laughed hardee at that than I should have. I just watched Plan 9 a few days ago so it's fresh in my head.
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Post by Mighty Jack on Aug 2, 2012 23:23:21 GMT -5
A comparative look at a few others who have undertaken this task. Note: Some off-key stuff. Technically, by Oscar's rules, neither Metropolis nor the General would have been eligible for 27-28. (they would have fit into the award a year before… if they had awards). I don’t know why Brad Strauss put Joan of Arc in 28-29, it should go with 27-28 by Oscar’s calendar -Aug 1927 to July 1928- (and even then it would not have qualified, as it never played in L.A. It finally came to the States in March of 1929, but only in New York. It premiered in Germany and Denmark in May/April 1928, which is why I put it where I do. It did play in France, the country that financed it, in Oct 1928, maybe that’s his reasoning?) I go by international release dates, so there will be a few things different with me (ala Casablanca, Goodfella's and I stuck with its original release date). Danny Peary, strangely, doesn't include foreign language films in his list (and he has the wrong release year for Sullivan's Travel's). Goodfella's did straight ahead years starting with 1930. His is a ‘best of’ and he doesn’t mention his list with alternate Oscars. Still, I included him. While we all agree with Kane, I break up the consensus in 1936. Year | Oscar | Jerry's Armchair Oscar | Brad Strauss | Goodfella's Movie Blog | Danny Peary | The Felix's | 1927-28 | Wings | Metropolis | Metropolis | None | Sunrise | The Passion of Joan of Arc
| 1928-29 | Broadway Melody | The Wind | The Passion of Joan of Arc | None | The Wind | Living Russian: Man With a Movie Camera
| 1929-30 | All Quiet on the Western Front | All Quiet on the Western Front | Pandora's Box | The Blue Angel | All Quiet on the Western Front | All Quiet on the Western Front
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1930-31 | Cimaron | City Lights | City Lights | M | City Lights | L'Age d'Or
| 1931-32 | Grand Hotel | Scarface | Horse Feathers | Trouble In Paradise | Scarface | Scarface
| 1932-33 | Cavalcade | King Kong | King Kong | The Bitter Tea of General Yen | King Kong | Queen Christina
| 1934 | It Happened One Night | The Thin Man | Scarlet Empress | The Thin Man | Scarlet Empress | L'Atalante
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1935 | Mutiny on the Bounty | The Informer | Bride of Frankenstein | Les miserables | The 39 Steps | The 39 Steps
| 1936 | The Great Zigfield | Modern Times | Modern Times | Modern Times | Modern Times | Swing Time
| 1937 | Life of Emile Zola | Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs | Grand Illusion | A Star is Born | Stage Door | Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs
| 1938 | You Can't Take it With You | Grand Illusion | The Lady Vanishes | Angels With Dirty Faces | Adventures of Robin Hood | Bringing Up Baby
| 1939 | Gone With the Wind | Wizard of Oz | Wizard of Oz | Rules of the Game | Wizard of Oz | Wizard of Oz
| 1940 | Rebecca | Grapes of Wrath | Grapes of Wrath | Rebecca | Grapes of Wrath | Grapes of Wrath
| 1941 | How Green Was My Valley | Citizen Kane | Citizen Kane | Citizen Kane | Citizen Kane | Citizen Kane
| 1942 | Mrs. Miniver | To Be or Not to Be | Bambi | Casablanca | Sullivan's Travels | Casablanca
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Post by Mighty Jack on Aug 2, 2012 23:23:49 GMT -5
Part 2: In this section Brad Strauss and I are on the same page -- even when we differ, I love his pick (which would be my #2 or 3). We finally have a consensus (apart from Oscar) in 1956, with the Searchers. To restate, Gooodfella’s and I stuck Casablanca in 1942, the years of it’s original release - a 10-week run in the New York area. Year | Oscar | Jerry's Armchair Oscar | Brad Strauss | Goodfella's Movie Blog | Danny Peary | The Felix's | 1943 | Casablanca | Casablanca | Casablanca | I Walked With a Zombie | Casablanca | The Ox-Bow Incident
| 1944 | Going My Way | Double Indemnity | Miracle of Morgan’s Creek | Double Indemnity | Double Indemnity | Miracle of Morgan’s Creek
| 1945 | The Lost Weekend | Picture of Dorian Gray | Children of Paradise | Scarlet Street | They Were Expendable | Children of Paradise
| 1946 | The Best Years of Our Lives | It's A Wonderful Life | Notorious | The Killers | It’s A Wonderful Life | The Best Year of Our Lives
| 1947 | Gentleman’s Agreement | Monsieur Verdoux | Black Narcissus | Out of the Past | Monsieur Verdoux | Black Narcissus
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1948 | Hamlet | Treasure of the Sierra Madre | Red River | Red River | Treasure of the Sierra Madre | Bicycle Thieves
| 1949 | All the King’s Men | The Third Man | The Third Man | Criss Cross | Gun Crazy | The Third Man
| 1950 | All About Eve | Sunset Boulevard | Sunset Boulevard | All About Eve | Sunset Boulevard | In A Lonely Place
| 1951 | An American in Paris | Day the Earth Stood Still | A Streetcar Named Desire | A Place in the Sun | Strangers on a Train | A Streetcar Named Desire
| 1952 | The Greatest Show on Earth | Singin' in the Rain | Ikiru | Casque d'Or | Singin' in the Rain | Ikiru
| 1953 | From Here to Eternity | The Big Heat | Tokyo Story | Earrings of Madam de... | Shane | Tokyo Story
| 1954 | On the Waterfront | Rear Window | Seven Samurai | Rear Window | Salt of the Earth | On the Waterfront & Seven Samurai (tie)
| 1955 | Marty | Night of the Hunter | Night of the Hunter | Kiss Me Deadly | Night of the Hunter | Diabolique
| 1956 | Around the World in 80 Days | The Searchers | The Searchers | The Searchers | The Searchers | The Searchers
| 1957 | Bridge on the River Kwai | Paths of Glory | Throne of Blood | Sweet Smell of Success | Paths of Glory | The Seventh Seal
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Post by Mighty Jack on Aug 2, 2012 23:24:15 GMT -5
Part 3 – Peary gets Once Upon A Time on his list by using its U.S. release date. His decision to ignore foreign language films comes back to bite him in 1963. Picking nothing on that season was gutless (and seriously, your saying that nothing was prestigious enough… but Gun Crazy in 1949 was? I like Gun Crazy but it’s a B movie. You can’t tell me it’s more prestigious than the Birds or America, America in 63) Anyway -- Peary bugs me because he’s saying, “here’s my list of the best… but I’m ignoring over 50% of the movies released each year.” To me it invalidates the project. How can I take you seriously when you refuse to consider the works of Bergman, Fellini, Kurosawa, Truffaut, DeSica, Dreyer, Buñuel, Almodóvar and Ozu… to name only a handful of giants? And yeah, I’m the oddball that messed up the Godfather getting unanimous votes from Oscar on down -- but in all honesty, I prefer Last Tango, and even Cabaret to Godfather, maybe even Deliverance a little more. My film blasphemy knows no bounds But Goodfella’s broke up Dr. Strangelove’s shot at running the board (apart from Oscar), so I’m not the only obstinate ass in this group. lol Year | Oscar | Jerry's Armchair Oscar | Brad Strauss | Goodfella's Movie Blog | Danny Peary | The Felix's | 1958 | Gigi | Mon Oncle | Vertigo | Ashes and Diamonds | Touch of Evil | Vertigo
| 1959 | Ben-Hur | Some Like it Hot | Rio Bravo | Rio Bravo | Some Like it Hot | North by Northwest | 1960 | The Apartment | Psycho | Psycho | Psycho | Psycho | The Apartment
| 1961 | West Side Story | Victim | West Side Story | The Innocents | West Side Story | Viridiana
| 1962 | Lawrence of Arabia | The Manchurian Candidate | Lawrence of Arabia | Mafioso | Ride the High Country | To Kill a Mockingbird
| 1963 | Tom Jones | The Haunting | 8 ½ | El Verdugo | None | 8 ½
| 1964 | My Fair Lady | Dr. Strangelove | Dr. Strangelove | Gamlet | Dr. Strangelove | Dr. Strangelove
| 1965 | The Sound of Music | Repulsion | Chimes at Midnight | Repulsion | Repulsion | Dr. Zhivago
| 1966 | A Man for All Seasons | The Good, the Bad and the Ugly | The Good, the Bad and the Ugly | Persona | Cul-de-Sac | Persona
| 1967 | In The Heat of the Night | Bonnie and Clyde | Samurai Rebellion | L'Samourai | Bonnie and Clyde | The Graduate
| 1968 | Oliver! | 2001: A Space Odyssey | 2001: A Space Odyssey | Once Upon a Time in the West | 2001: A Space Odyssey | Once Upon a Time in the West
| 1969 | Midnight Cowboy | Easy Rider | The Wild Bunch | Army of Shadows | Once Upon a Time in the West | Z
| 1970 | Patton | M*A*S*H* | M*A*S*H* | The Conformist | Five Easy Pieces | Five Easy Pieces
| 1971 | The French Connection | The Last Picture Show | Fiddler on the Roof | McCabe and Mrs. Miller | McCabe and Mrs. Miller | McCabe and Mrs. Miller | 1972 | The Godfather | The Godfather | The Godfather | The Godfather | The Godfather | Last Tango in Paris | 1973 | The Sting | The Exorcist | The Exorcist | Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid | American Graffiti | Day For Night | 1974 | The Godfather, Part II | Chinatown | Young Frankenstein | Godfather Part II | Chinatown | Chinatown |
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