The Best Films of the 2000s and more.
Posts tagged Family
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.
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.
The Incredibles (2004)
Mar 28th
Starring: (voices) Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Jason Lee
Director: Brad Bird
Country: USA
Genre: Animation, Action
If it’s Pixar, it must be one of the best.
The Incredibles marked numerous deviations for the super giant animation studio Pixar. They had never had a film center around humans before and it marked the first time that they brought in a non-Pixar director to take the reins. Brad Bird (who directed one of my favorites, Iron Giant,) steps in with super strength and successfully crafted not only an awesome superhero movie, but one of the most exciting action flicks of the decade. It pays homage to the superheroes that inspired the film, but effectively create hella characters all their own. The voice acting is spot on, the score is super exciting, the animation is luscious, and the script is smarter than most superhero films actually based on source material. The Incredibles is, in one word, ‘Inrediawesome’.
Top 10 Animated Films of the 2000s
Mar 17th
Over the last decade animated films have taken a turn from generic children fare to films the entire family can enjoy. This is no doubt attributed to the ultra success of Pixar and the black magic they weave over audiences. But we’ve also seen an increase in serious animations released in the last ten years. Films like Persepolis and Waltz with Bashir; both personal tales of finding one’s identity amongst a world at war. Or there are the gothic tales of 9 or Coraline to stir up scary images in your mind before you go to bed. And then there’s a few just for a great laugh, like Shrek or Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.
Whatever the case, there’s something for everyone. Animation has officially become accepted among all ages as a valid form of entertainment, and in quite a few cases it ends up being a bit more successful than their live action counterparts at cementing a lasting relationship with an audience. If you had asked me in the year 2000 whether or not there would be any animated films in my best of list at the end of the decade, I may or may not have said yes, but could never have guessed there’d be this many amazing masterpieces.
Without further ado, the top 10 animated films from 2000 – 2009:
*Note: films listed chronologically and are subject to change.
Monsters, Inc. (2001)
Monsters, Inc. is my go-to example of what the perfect voice casting/acting can do to enhance an animated film. Often times a celebrity voice can be distracting, but every voice is so well suited in this film that it leaves no room for doubt that these characters actually do exist in the dark places when we’re asleep. Of course when you’re dealing with the comedic talent of Billy Crystal and John Goodman, your job is halfway done. The film is the perfect blend of heartwarming moments and exciting action.
Wallace and Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005)
Mar 16th
Starring: (voices) Peter Sallis, Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter
Director: Nick Park
Country: UK, USA
Genre: Animation
Wallace and Gromit in the Curse of the Awesomeness.
Wallace and Gromit have been around since the 80s, but it took them over 15 years to reach the big screen in their feature film debut. The wait was absolutely worth it. The years of developing the characters and type of humor paid off in a huge way. Each character in the film, including the minor townsfolk, are so well thought out and sculpted so well to shape the nuances of their personalities. What’s great about how it’s written is that you don’t need to have known Wallace and Gromit for fifteen years before seeing the film. You can get the sense of their history while learning about them for the first time. Plus it’s quirky great fun for all ages, that doesn’t play down to anyone’s intelligence. The art direction and cinematography is better than most live action films, and the visual style is on par with the greatest of caper films. Quite a brilliant feat of filmmaking.
Cars (2006)
Mar 13th
Starring: (voices) Owen Wilson, Paul Newman, Bonnie Hunt
Director: John Lasseter
Country: USA
Genre: Animation, Family
Vroooooooooooooooooom!
The lesser of Pixar’s films is still comparatively one hell of a fun film that doesn’t skimp on the true-to-heart formula they’ve more than mastered. What is lost in being able to emotionally connect to these characters instantly through their appearance, they more than make up with personality, humor, and a surprisingly touching story. Outside of Up this is one of the more luscious color palates that a Pixar movie has had, coupled with slight improvements to their animation techniques makes Cars a really awesome movie to look at. Surprisingly, Larry “The Cable Guy” is rather charming instead of obnoxious. The entire voice cast, as all Pixar films are, is spot on and toe the line perfectly between funny as hell and heartwarming.
Enchanted (2007)
Mar 11th
Starring: Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, James Marsden
Director: Kevin Lima
Country: USA
Genre: Family
Enchanted is targeted toward twelve-year-old girls and this guy over here.
Why does this film work? For all intents and purposes, it should be obnoxious as hell, but there’s something about its complete and utter lack of shame at being so innocent and sentimental that allow it to succeed. Amy Adams, no doubt, is the reason this film flourishes. It’s one of the best bits of casting in the entire decade, as she looks like a cartoon character and plays her naivety at a perfect volume. James Marsden provides quite a few laughs, that should be cheesy, but if you’re buying into the film by the time he arrives it’s not hard to find yourself chuckling. Enchanted straddles a line between Disney parodying itself and paying homage to the films that made it famous. If you’re open to the possibility that a family film could be entertaining, you might actually find a lot of pleasure in this film. If you’re a bitter cynic, stay away, stay far far away.
