The Best Films of the 2000s and more.
Posts tagged Adaptation
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (2010)
Aug 23rd
Starring: Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Ellen Wong
Director: Edgar Wright
Country: USA
Genre: Action, Romance
“Michael Cera and Jason Schwartzman engage in an epic kung-fu sword battle” must not have been the most convincing pitch to get this film green lit. But compared to most of the action movies released in the last half decade, Scott Pilgrim‘s “alternative” cast provides some of the most cohesive and exciting fight scenes years. This is no doubt due to the immense talent of Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz.)
Scott Pilgrim is a young man with some typical girl problems in a less than typical world where video game noises and comic book exclamations make the mundane extraordinary. When Scott falls in love with the new girl in town, Ramona, he quickly learns (the hard way) that in order to date her he must defeat her seven evil exes.
It’s so rare that it’s just to call a film ‘refreshingly original’. Only a person that is truly in love with movies and, in this case, their subject matter can create something as kinetic and satisfying a film like this. This is absolutely a film meant to please as anyone interested in it knows, (to some extent) what they’re in store for. Happily, Wright delivers the goods plus more. The comedy is fierce, the action is amped, and the entertainment is off the charts. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World might go down as the most criminally unseen film of the summer.
Winter’s Bone (2010)
Aug 2nd
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, John Hawkes, Dale Dickey
Director: Debra Granik
Country: USA
Genre: Drama, Thriller
The quiet chaos that is Winter’s Bone…
There might not be a better breakout performance in 2010 than that of Jennifer Lawrence in this matter-of-fact thriller. Debra Granik’s thriller takes place in the backwoods, observing a community of people seemingly shut off from the outside world, but not unaffected by its economic turmoil. Lawrence stars as the 17-year-old Ree who must find her father who has put their house up for his bond – the same house that shelters her, her young brother and sister, and mentally sick mother. This Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner stirs up some subdued fears as it’s delicately crafted suspense begins to chill the bones like it’s title suggests. As Ree pushes through her journey to find her father, she’s driven purely by the need to protect and survive – a trait that alone gives her the strength to endure all too much. Veteran supporting actors John Hawkes and Dale Dickey also shine unlike they ever have before. This is one film that is sure to slowly work its way into the public consciousness.
American Splendor (2003)
Jun 28th
Starring: Paul Giamatti, Hope Davis, Judah Friedlander
Director: Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini
Country: USA
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Most original mix of reality and fiction of the decade.
Biopics are a dime a dozen. Most of the time they are overly dramatized excuses for an actor to be a candidate for Best Actor. But American Splendor takes a far different approach. It’s part documentary, part adaptation of a graphic novel, part dramatized biopic. It’s a movie about a movie being made about a man who has written a comic book about himself. The funny, and perhaps most impressive thing is, it never comes off self-indulgent. Harvey Pekar, the film’s subject, is known for his blatant truth-telling and the film stays true to that. It blends animation with interview footage and traditional scripted scenes. Paul Giamatti puts in a splendid performance as the depressed hygiene-handicapped comic book writer.
Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire (2009)
Jun 9th
Starring: Gabourey Sidibe, Mo’Nique, Paula Patton
Director: Lee Daniels
Country: USA
Genre: D-r-a-m-a-a-a-a-a.
The greatness of this film is a surprise of a lifetime.
It’s not unfair to say that this film is targeted for a specific demographic. However, it is a testament to its quality when its reach exceeds and transcends the boundaries of its marketed audience. Sure, it was an award season darling, but make no mistake, its roots are in the festival circuit where the issues of independent films aren’t shied away from or sugarcoated (The Blind Side being the counter piece to this film, and the worst offender of Hollywood dribble.) Here, the performances are so real it’s grating. Mo’Nique creates a villain equal to that of all the Waltz’s, Bardem’s and Ledger’s the Academy has ever seen. Sidibe is an absolute revelation as the twice pregnant abused high schooler. Precious makes Hollywood underdog stories look like children’s books. Lee Daniels really created something special here – something that deserves every ounce of praise it gets.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2009)
May 25th
Starring: Michael Nyqvist, Noomi Rapace
Director: Niels Arden Oplev
Country: Sweden
Genre: Mystery
One of the most resonating films of the decade.
Based on the literary phenomena of the same name, the film version of the popular mystery is a triumph of balance between strong storytelling and deep character study. While the mystery itself isn’t all that surprising, it just acts as a catalyst for which the unlikely duo of main characters come together. The techno-goth-like hacker unnervingly portrayed by Noomi Rapace is a performance to behold. Her unlikely pairing with the more conventional, but equally troubled journalist played by with ease by Michael Nyqvist, is possibly one of the more inspired combination of characters in recent years. Oplev’s direction is visually luscious and unflinching. The film’s ability to take on the mystery genre with proper attention paid to the characters gives it a longevity far beyond most films of the genre.
1001 Movie Club: A.I.: Artificial Intelligence (2001)
May 13th
Steven Spielberg and Stanley Kubrick’s friendship spanned decades and despite their vastly different directorial styles maintained the utmost respect for each other’s work. So when it came time to make A.I. Kubrick decided to bring in Spielberg as a creative force. Unfortunately before any solid pre-production had started on the feature, Stanley Kubrick passed away leaving Spielberg to make a movie to honor the great director.
This backstory is important in understanding the fundamental tone of Artificial Intelligence. It’s constantly being pulled in two directions at once: toward the sterile and alienating sensibilities of Kubrick and toward the sentimental family oriented sensibilities of Spielberg. No doubt this is an entirely internal struggle within Spielberg who sat down and wrote the official screenplay off of Kubrick’s 90-page treatment. It’s hard to tell if he’s struggling trying to find a balance between honoring Kubrick’s story while holding onto some semblance of his own trademarks.
War of the Worlds (2005)
May 6th
SCIENCE FICTION PICK:
Starring: Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning, Justin Chatwin
Director: Steven Spielberg
Country: USA
Genre: Science Fiction
We really are quite a helpless species.
Say what you will about Spielberg in the 00s, but one thing that cannot be denied is his fascination with science fiction. Beginning the decade out with A.I. Artificial Intelligence, he then moved onto Minority Report, followed by this adaptation of the classic H.G. Wells novel,(not a remake.) It’s definitely not without its faults, (there’s really no reason we needed to see the aliens, the narration is entirely unneeded, etc.) but it definitely delivers on a unique sci-fi adventure. It’s a bit more harrowing than most alien stories, focusing a lot on the human condition simultaneously with the destruction. Spielberg once again uses quite a gray color palate, as he did in Minority Report to really enhance the grisly circumstances. Like him or hate him, Tom Cruise brings his A game carrying the entire film on his shoulders. War of the Worlds is a lot of fun, albeit a little overlong.
