The Best Films of the 2000s and more.
Posts tagged Ensemble
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.
Toy Story 3 (2010)
Jun 27th
Starring: (voices) Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack
Director: Lee Unkrich
Country: USA
Genre: Animation
Best emotional closure to a long running flawless series (of the decade.)
The Individuals at Pixar are evil sorcerer’s who brainwash us into loving their films by implanting messages in the short films that appear before the features. That’s the only explanation for eleven box office successes in a row. This third installment of the hugely popular series, like the previous two films, etches its own unique mark on cinema history. It weaves together emotion and entertainment flawlessly with a story that tackles a number of important themes, (which some people will surely claim to be ‘too subversive for a children’s film’, but that’s Pixar for you.) Toy Story 3 will certainly please fans of the series, giving emotional closure to an adventure that started fifteen years ago, while simultaneously introducing these lovable characters to a whole new generation. This is probably the greatest adventure of the series, and that’s saying a lot considering the climax of Toy Story 2.
A Mighty Wind (2003)
May 17th
Starring: Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, John Michael Higgins
Director: Christopher Guest
Country: USA
Genre: Comedy
Folk music has never been so… folktastic.
It’s hard to really pinpoint what makes A Mighty Wind so spectacular. Part of the reason lies in the Guestian ensemble being at their peak. Each actor fills out their characters so well, like they have in the past, giving each a rich backstory. Secondly, the music in this film plays more of a role than just for laughs. There’s a certain authenticity to it, while sometimes tacky, that makes it feel incredibly genuine. While this is a brilliant ensemble, there are few performances that really stick out, particularly Catherine O’Hara and Eugene Levy who together bring all the heart of the film, and Fred Willard who squeezes every laugh he can out of every scene he’s in. The film isn’t always laugh out loud funny, but there’s a kinetic synergy in every moment of this film that makes it so exciting to watch.
Top 10 Comedies of the 2000s
May 11th
The task of picking the top 10 comedies of any decade is a hard one as the comedy genre is so subjective – more so than most genres. What appeals to one person’s sense of humor doesn’t to another’s. The style of comedies (gross out, character based, situational, physical, etc.) come and go in fads and what may be funny today won’t be funny tomorrow.
In picking this top ten, I’ve chosen ten films that were built first and foremost as comedies, that is films designed to make us laugh. In addition, I’ve chosen ten films that seem to have stood the test of time, though some of the latter might need a bit longer to prove their longevity.
Regardless, enjoy and tell me which films you would like to see on the list!
Movies listed chronologically, not in order of importance. List is subject to change and if does will be updated appropriately.
The Mist (2007)
Apr 27th
HORROR PICK:
Starring: Tom Jane, Laurie Holden, Toby Jones
Director: Frank Darabont
Country: USA
Genre: Horror
Darabont brings us yet another great Stephen King adaptation.
Horror films can reach some dark depths, but most of them give us hope for the survivors by the end of the film, or at least throw us one last scare to leave us smirking… The Mist starts dark, gets darker, then takes a right turn into dismally bleak. Darabont’s B-film starts off fun enough with a bunch of strangers stranded in a grocery store during a massive fog as creatures begin to attack. But, like the fog itself, it becomes impossible to see the dangers that lurk in the near future. By the end of this film, you’ll be wishing for the happy times of 28 Days Later. Aside from the creatures, the focus on human behavior under extreme circumstances is given great emphasis which more than anything else develops the suspense of the film. Marcia Gay Harden deserves special attention as her incredibly frustrating evangelical performance.
Top 10 Dramedies of the 2000s
Apr 21st
Unlike the other top ten lists on this site, I’ve decided to go about it a bit differently and list the top ten chronologically instead of ranking them from #10 – #01. This is not out of laziness, but rather because of my instinctual nature of resisting the pressure to say one thing is better than another. All ten of these films are above and beyond amazing films and should be enjoyed equally. Perhaps that’s cheating, but it doesn’t change which films I’ve chosen.
As always, this list is subject to change and as it does will be updated appropriately.
Love Actually (2003)
Apr 14th
ROMANTIC COMEDY PICK:
Starring: Liam Neeson, Hugh Grant, Colin Firth
Director: Richard Curtis
Country: UK
Genre: Romantic Comedy
In case you needed another reason to <3 the holidays.
Of all of the holiday films around, there’s a staggering lack of romantic comedies which might be one of the plethora of reasons why Love Actually is beloved. This is, perhaps, the Magnolia of romantic comedies, weaving multiple story lines and characters into each other to create a world of connectivity. It works, because after all, love is about connection. With such an huge and appealing cast, it’s hard not to find at least one thing to adore about this film. It effortlessly glides between being entirely humorous to ultra cute to immensely touching. Its biggest flaw is that it might be a touch too long, but anyone who loves these characters are sure to be forgiving. In terms of 00′s romantic comedies, this could be hailed as the mecca.
