The Best Films of the 2000s and more.
Posts tagged Fantasy
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.
Thirst (2009)
Aug 13th
Starring: Kang-ho Song, Ok-bin Kim, Hae-sook Kim
Director: Chan-wook Park
Country: South Korea
Genre: Foreign, Horror
Jury Prize – Cannes Film Festival
The popularity in vampire films in the last few years isn’t anything new. In fact, it’s just a resurgence of a fascination of a myth that goes back hundreds of years. But when we compare the different facets of vampirism in films today, it’s rather astounding the amount of differential nuances that can be found.
Chan-wook Park (Oldboy) directs this dark and twisted vampire tale that balances the romanticism of vampires with the remorse (or perhaps pleasure) derived from the constant sin that must be committed in order to survive. What better way to poise this balance than centering the film around a main character who is a man of the cloth. Sang-hyeon (played by the brilliant Kang-ho Song) is out to sacrifice himself to save lives by infecting himself with a disease to determine whether he has the immune system that could procure a remedy. Unfortunately it has some negative side-effects – simply put, it turns him into a vampire. While he tries to come to terms with his new ‘affliction’, Tae-ju, a stir-crazy housewife desires his powers and will stop and nothing to obtain them.
Park slowly develops the conflict in this film. It’s not immediately apparent what the obstacles are going to be. They seem to come like divine gifts with unexpected circumstances. After the halfway point, the film hurtles toward a climax that only Chan-wook Park could conceive, (and execute.) Utilizing his luscious cinematography and terrifically cringe-worthy sound effects, this might be Park’s best film to date.
Hero (2004)
May 30th
Starring: Jet Li, Maggie Cheung, Tony Leung
Director: Zhang Yimou
Country: China
Genre: Foreign, Drama
Ooo… pretty colors.
Tarantino decided to import this great action drama in the spirit of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and thank goodness. This film explores the beauty of martial arts and swordplay using some of the most stunning imagery of the decade. Zhang Yimou brings his unique sense of drama to the action genre, imbuing it with a sense of emotionality that is so rarely achieved. Instead of depicting violence for action’s sake in the fight sequences, each one further matures the characters, emotional arc, or contributes to the Roshomon-esque storytelling. It goes without saying that colors play an integral role – creating a visual style that is purely breathtaking. Though Jet Li plays basically the same stone-faced character that he usually plays, the rest of the cast is stellar.
An In-Depth Look: King Kong (2005)
Apr 7th
At the turn of the century, Peter Jackson revolutionized blockbuster cinema. His Lord of the Rings trilogy was undeniably influential. The scope alone of such an epic collection of films is awe-inspiring, but in time what might be considered the most radical facet is the use of CGI, not only for monumental battle sequences, but also in creating an entirely digital central character.
After the long and arduous post-production process on Lord of the Rings, Jackson quickly began work on his next mythological project: King Kong. It was released only two years after the final chapter of the LoTR movies, and to an unfortunate lackluster response. But why?
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.
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004)
Mar 15th
Starring: Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Giovani Ribisi
Director: Kerry Conran
Country: USA
Genre: Adventure
Sky Captain and the World of Awesomenessville.
It’s a shame that this film hasn’t found its audience. Or perhaps it has, but it’s just a really small one. Whatever the case, Sky Captain is certainly made for those who love old school adventure films from the 30s and 40s. It almost pulls directly from films and fiction like King Kong, Flash Gordon, anything written by H.G. Wells and Jules Verne, and don’t think that there isn’t a bit of Indiana Jones and Star Wars thrown in for good measure. The story is a simple one, but it flourishes in the true adventure spirit, its characters never knowing what’s around the next corner or where their journey will end up taking them. What makes the film so incredibly fun to watch is that it’s simply made out of love of the genre. It’s a shame it didn’t catch on, as I would’ve loved to have seen more Sky Captain films.
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.
