The Best Films of the 2000s and more.
Posts tagged Western
Top 10 Popcorn Flicks of the 2000s
Jul 10th
We all love going to the movies. That’s why you’re here, right? Well, since it’s summer and Blockbusters rule the world at the moment, I thought it would be a great time to put out my Top 10 Popcorn Flicks – those movies that go so well with a bucket-o-popcorn (or Kettlecorn for you sweettooths out there.) There are a lot of great popcorn movies – hell, most movies that are released are made to be viewed over the wide brim of a jumbo bucket, but only a handful are memorable, great, or even the best.
As per usual, these films are listed chronologically and are otherwise not listed in any specific order. Feel free to leave your own top ten popcorn flicks in the comments!
Enjoy!
Snatch. (2000)
Crime doesn’t pay, it steals your dignity. This super stylish crime comedy influenced countless films over the last ten years – few that ever reached the same level of fun.
The Good, the Bad, the Weird (2008)
May 3rd
Starring: Kang-ho Song, Byung-hun Lee, Woo-sung Jung
Director: Ji-woon Kim
Country: South Korea
Genre: Foreign, Adventure
Hollywood Blockbusters, pay attention. This is how it’s done.
Every year it seems more and more blockbusters are being released with bigger budgets and new gimmicks to get people in the seats of the theater. But only rarely are the experiences entirely satisfying. Enter The Good, the Bad, the Weird to fill that void. This is good ol’ filmmaking at its best. Sure there are visual effects shots, but there are also stunts. Real stunts. Real explosions. Real adventure. Real fun. Taking tips from adventure flicks from all different countries in different generations, GBW seems to relish in basking in the shadow of its predecessors (The Good, the Bad, the Ugly, Indiana Jones, even Tarantino and Kurosawa can be felt here,) and its this that allows it to rise to the occasion. It’s chock full of South Korean culture, from the humor to the characters, but it’s also incredibly transcendent. If there’s no other reason to see this film, it’s the epic chase/shoot-out scene to end all chase/shoot-out scenes (REAL STUNTS.) Don’t forget to breathe.
3:10 to Yuma (2007)
Mar 12th
Starring: Christian Bale, Russell Crowe, Ben Foster
Director: James Mangold
Country: USA
Genre: Western
3:10 to Awesometown.
This remake of the 1957 classic lives up to its predecessor while also providing a fun homage to the genre in general. While it doesn’t delve into the psychology as much as the original, it’s still fun to watch these two ferocious actors go head to head. James Mangold instills the roots of the gun slinging spaghetti western through beautiful cinematography (albeit not as patient or immersive, as say Sergio Leone,) and Marco Beltrami’s pitch-perfect score. Crowe and Bale have a surprising chemistry that works really well together. Bale plays his all-too-serious character and Crowe plays his cocky wry sense of humor character, and they create a really kind of fun dynamic to watch. For those who are won over by the film, it brings in a sweet reward in the form of one hell of a ending shoot out. Plus there’s a cameo/small role by Luke Wilson that to this day I’m still trying to understand.
