The Best Films of the 2000s and more.
Posts tagged Period Piece
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.
City of God (2002)
Jun 22nd
Starring: Alexandre Rodrigues, Leandro Firmino, Phellipe Haagensen
Director: Fernando Meirelles
Country: Brazil
Genre: Foreign, Crime
Best foreign drug war film of the decade.
There is a certain connotation that comes along with the word “foreign film”. The subtitles are a given, but I think generally thoughts of slow moving films about people and topics that American audiences can’t connect with. But City of God is the perfect example of a foreign film that transcends a specific audience. This tale of the rise of the drug wars in Cidade de Deus in the seventies has so much style that takes inspiration from all sorts of international films – from Tarantino-style storytelling to Guy Ritchie-style editing to a soundtrack straight out of seventies exploitation films. It has the same harrowing ping of a Scorsese film with the same flavor of Brazil’s other huge cinematic hit, Black Orpheus. Meirelles’ decision to use non-actors was a brilliant choice, rooting it in a similar realm as the best of international cinema. It’s incredibly stylish and super entertaining.
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.
Control (2007)
Jun 7th
Starring: Sam Riley, Samantha Morton
Director: Anton Corbijn
Country: UK
Genre: Drama, Biopic
Best use of black and white photography of the decade.
Rock photographer Anton Corbijn once photographed Joy Division in the late seventies. This fact is of the utmost importance in experiencing the biopic of lead singer Ian Curtis as it’s directed by Corbijn some thirty years after the singer met his tragic fate. Corbijn certainly has a knack for composition as every single frame of this film could be printed and framed. But what’s more is that he has helped shape one of the best actor-playing-a-real-person performances of the decade from Sam Riley, and proved himself a master storyteller bringing Matt Greenhalgh’s script to life. The end result is a film that captures the same feeling as listening to a Joy Division album: it’s poignant, it’s hypnotizing, and it’s sweeping. This is a great counter piece to the 2002 film 24 Hour Party People, which follows Curtis, Joy Division and their label Factory Records.
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.
1001 Movie Club: Gone with the Wind (1939)
May 28th
Adjusted for inflation, Gone with the Wind is easily the biggest movie of all time bringing in over three billion dollars. This is no coincidence as Gone with the Wind is one massive production – the sets, the story, the acting – everything is epic. It’s so big that it required 2,400 extras, 50 speaking parts, and even two directors, (three if you count David O. Selznick’s meticulous producing.)
OSCAR SMACKDOWN: 1995 Best Picture
May 19th
I was recently asked to take part in OSCAR SMACKDOWN over at The Final Oscar. The year: 1995. The films: Apollo 13, Babe, Braveheart, Il Postino, and Sense & Sensibility. The mission: view all five films and rate them based on the film alone, not with its ranking with the other nominees. Be sure to check The Final Oscar on May 24th for the results of the other participants and to see what theoretically should’ve been Best Picture of 1995.
Apollo 13
***** 5 Stars
There are few films that can be instantly classified as a ‘classic’ upon its release; Apollo 13 is one of them. Basing the film on the distressed NASA mission had inherent drama in it, and Ron Howard utilized it to a T. A perfect cast who put in perfect performances, stunning visual effects, and one hell of an attention to detail makes this film absolutely awe-inspiring and unforgettable.
