David Fincher was surely shot into prominence right out the gun with his feature directorial debut as the third installment in the ultra successful Alien franchise. Three years later he sealed his fate in the directors hall of fame by not only sidestepping the sophomore slump, but progressing leaps and bounds to experienced veteran status. Fifteen years later, Seven is still pointed to as one of the go-to gritty neo-noir stories for anyone interested in the crime genre.
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Tags: 1001 Movie Club, Crime, Dark, Detectives, Drama, Mystery, Neo Noir, Serial Killer, Suspense, Thriller, Violent
Articles | this guy over here March 4, 2010 | 
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Horror films, at their best, can present very effective mirrors to some of society’s biggest problems. Through the history of the genre, film after film has presented an outlet for anger, sadness, or even parody of pointless wars, consumerism, greed, and a slew of other attributes. In a way, horror films make the perfect allegory in presenting challenging ideas in an entertaining way. Some are schlocky fun, others have transcended into a beautiful art form.
Compiled here are This Guy’s picks for the top ten horror films of the 2000s (2000-2009.) The list is based upon theatrical distribution as well as loyalty to the genre, (as there are many films that might be considered horror, though they fit more applicably into another category, i.e. Shaun of the Dead.) *Note: this list is subject to change and if it does it shall promptly be reposted with the appropriate information.
#10. The Mist is Frank Darabont’s venture into B-movie fun proves itself as an entertaining and often jolting film. While the whole film doesn’t work, what does work is such a delight. A couple of great performances and numerous religious/anti-religious themes elevate this from schlock to lock stock and two smoking barrels… or at least just the smoke… okay okay, ‘mist.’ It’s part sci-fi, part horror, and part human psychology experiment. If nothing else, this film shows that in the right hands Stephen King’s work can still deliver theater worthy experiences and shouldn’t be entirely banished to the small screen.
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Starring: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Jim Broadbent
Director: Edgar Wright
Country: UK
Genre: Action, Comedy
I would have hated to be the editor of the 5,500+ cuts this film has.
Sophomore efforts are always judged more harshly than probably should. When you have a successful debut like this team did with Shaun of the Dead, you have certain expectations to meet. For me, Hot Fuzz at first didn’t necessarily meet my expectations, but more like sidestepped them. I thought it was trying to be too many things at once. But upon subsequent viewings, I’ve come to the conclusion that I think this film is more brilliant than it appears to be. All at once it embraces the humor from Shaun that made them famous, but also separates itself by crafting an action detective story that would fit right in with the Dirty Harry series. And even in that respect, it’s completely an homage, but it’s never derivative. It’s a fun and over the top policeman officer comedy!
Starring: Christian Bale, Willem Defoe, Reese Witherspoon
Director: Mary Harron
Country: USA
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Corporate America has been slowly killing people for years. At least Patrick Bateman is honest about it.
Mary Harron translates Bret Easton Ellis’s sterile and deeply disturbing novel into a quiet masterpiece of cinema. At first glance, American Psycho doesn’t necessarily feel like a horror film; it’s surface is plastic and shiny, but once you peel away the mineral face mask, a violent and truly disgusting beast is revealed. Most of the film feels artificial, meticulous, and staged, but there are these piercing moments of insanity that are incredibly perturbing. It’s part Taxi Driver, and part an expensive Italian silk suit. Social status has never been so savagely explored.
Starring: Josh Brolin, Javier Bardem, Tommy Lee Jones
Director: The Coen Brothers
Country: USA
Genre: Thriller
There are few performances in this decade that made me feel as uncomfortable and dreadful as Javier Bardem in No Country For Old Men. By the end of the film, I felt like I had been doing stomach crunches for two hours. The Coens have sculpted their masterpiece with this film, deviating from their tongue-in-cheek humor and creating a balls-to-the-wall suspense thriller. The majority of the film is just one giant and well developed chase scene that even Hitchcock would gush over. Brolin’s performance as a Texan who stumbles upon a satchel of money after a drug deal gone wrong is understated and spot on. Tommy Lee Jones’s detective provides the glue to the film, cementing brick by suspenseful brick with his quiet denouncements of the current world in which we live in.
Starring: Song Kang-ho, Kim Sang-kyung, Kim Roe-ha
Director: Bong Joon-ho
Country: South Korea
Genre: Foreign, Crime
Police investigations are rarely ever handled the way that we see in most movies and television shows. I’ve developed a huge appreciation for films that tell it like it is, which is sometimes bleak and not what we want to hear. Memories of Murder may have been a source of inspiration for the 2007 Fincher drama Zodiac as it has similar themes in common. Murder may be gloomy and dark, but Joon-ho also infuses an non-intrusive sense of humor. The result is an intriguing film that is surprisingly easy and fun to watch… not usually something you can say about a film revolving around violent murders of women. A must see for anyone interested in the crime genre.
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr., Mark Ruffalo
Director: David Fincher
Country: USA
Genre: Thriller
Going into Zodiac my expectations were very different than what the movie had to offer. Without trying to give anything away, simply put, I wasn’t expecting an in-depth procedural thriller. I think I had expected another Seven. In retrospect, I’m very glad it wasn’t another Seven, and I should’ve known better that Fincher wouldn’t have traveled down that murky road again. It was upon the second viewing, knowing how everything pans out that I really began to appreciate the scrutinizing detail put into the investigation. It’s been said that Zodiac is the anti-Dirty Harry (which is also based loosely around the same events that take place in this film,) in that it gives a more accurate look at what the detectives actually have to accomplish to pin their suspect down. For some, I can see how the loads of paper work and following up might get a tad boring, but for those who dedicate themselves to the film will more than likely get caught up in its obsessive vibe.
