She's all I needed.
All I needed to see before turning off the wretched The Informers, Gregor Jordan's adaptation of Brett Easton Ellis' novel. Calling it wretched isn't exactly fair, as I only watched ten minutes of it, but holy fuck those ten minutes were enough.
After a terrible first scene, we cut to Amber Heard riding some guy in the nude. It's amazing. She is just insanely attractive. Then we go to a new scene with Lou Taylor Pucci and his totally 80s hair doing a sweet drugged out LA '80s accent. I couldn't handle it. And honestly, Amber Heard is why I rented this in the first place.
Also, the disc was already starting to to freeze up and what not. This film is cursed. The discs want no one to watch it.
I'm about to watch the new Romanian film Police, Adjective, and having read that it's all about the deconstruction of law and language, I am extremely excited.
Tomorrow is a new year, and a new decade. Here's to Amber Heard finding more roles that at some point in the script and development stage sound really substantial and awards-worthy, and thus require more nudity.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Thursday, December 24, 2009
2009 in Film
The last list for a whole year. Fucking thank god.
This year disappointed me with its lack of flat-out, future classics, but it's apparent when I look at my list that the majority of the films I saw this year were some sort of good.
And there are many films currently in theaters, or not quite on dvd, which are supposed to be great but I have not yet seen. Up in the Air, An Education, Lorna's Silence being but a few such films.
I'm not putting up my whole list in full until the top 25. Here are some highlights from the top 50.
I thought this following movie was a fucking well-edited, insanely gripping goddamn blast:
50. G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (Stephen Sommers) - Yeah, that's right. Sommers knows how to film action scenes that feel coherent and have a sense of location. And he knows how to keep an action movie rolling.
Some great films nobody fucking saw apparently make up a large portion of the good films I saw this year:
39. Sauna (Antti-Jussi Annila)
38. Medicine for Melancholy (Barry Jenkins)
37. Pontypool (Bruce McDonald)
36. The Escapist (Rupert Wyatt)
34. I Sell the Dead (Glenn McQuaid)
33. Tulpan (Sergei Dvortsevoy)
32. The Chaser (Na Hong-jin)
31. I'm Gonna Explode (Gerardo Naranjo)
30. Three Monkeys (Nuri Bilge Ceylan)
29. Five Minutes of Heaven (Olivier Hirschbiegel)
27. Afterschool (Antonio Campos)
26. Zift (Javor Gardev)
25. Two Lovers (James Gray) - I guess if Joaquin never acts again, this is a fantastic performance to go out on.
24. The Girlfriend Experience (Stephen Soderbergh) - Witness the Glenn Kenny at his most disgusting.
23. The Brothers Bloom (Rian Johnson) - Wrongfully hated as an Anderson copy. I honestly don't see it. I see a wonderfully entertaining film about two brothers who love stories. With quirks....
22. Sugar (Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck) - After this and Half Nelson, apparently we can expect beautiful cinematography and disgruntled and unflinching character studies from these two filmmakers.
21. Drag Me to Hell (Sam Raimi) - Spook-a-blast master returning to what he's best at.
20. Public Enemies (Michael Mann) - No masterpiece, but an entertaining and well made account of Dillinger, none the less.
19. World's Greatest Dad (Bobcat Goldthwait) - This is pitch black. I don't know how robin Williams and his penis pulled it off.
18. The Headless Woman (Lucrecia Martel) - A disorienting account of a woman losing herself in the wake of a tragic accident.
17. Mary and Max (Adam Elliot) - Clay mation. It's ugly and beautiful. I cried.
16. Humpday (Lynn Shelton) - Much better than it looked. Genuinely moving story of two confused best friends.
15. Revanche (Gotz Spielmann) - A quietly devastating tale of emotional revenge.
14. Away We Go (Sam Mendes) - Not the Pitchfork/American Apparel film its ads promised. A heartwarming film of two uncertain and lost future parents.
13. Funny People (Judd Apatow) - It's long, loosely structured, and cruel, but it's an uncompromised vision from a great filmmaker and it has all the heart of his previous two masterpieces.
12. Bronson (Nicolas Winding Refn) - Absolutely insane film about an insane man with a riveting lead performance from Tom Hardy.
11. In the Loop (Armando Iannucci) - Takes the English language to places it's never been before.
10. Coraline (Henry Sellick) - Perfectly recreates the spirit of youth in Neil Gaiman's novel in the form of a visually wonderous and magical film.
9. The Informant (Stephen Soderbergh) - A wacky performance from Matt Damon's makes this film great. And the wonky score helps out too.
8. Antichrist (Lars von Trier) - Oh my fucking god. This movie is powerful in a number of ways. Its much publicized third act isn't even the most horrifying part.
7. Everlasting Moments (Jan Troell) - A lonely woman's life is changed when she discovers photography. It's simple and elegant, and a masterfully told story.
The rest were on the decade list:
6. Up (Pete Docter and Bob Peterson)
5. Ponyo (Hiyao Miyazaki)
4. Adventureland (Greg Mottola)
3. Summer Hours (Olivier Assayas)
2. Still Walking (Koreeda Hirokazu)
1. A Serious Man (Joel and Ethan Coen)
Fuck this decade. I'm done with it. Next year, in my head, promises us the return of Julie Andrews to the live action musical, and the death of psychadelic folk as the reigning musical genre of hipsters. I can't stand Grizzly Bear. Bring back the style of Strawberry Jam!
Oh, and Third Eye Blind's gonna make a comeback.
Count on it.
This year disappointed me with its lack of flat-out, future classics, but it's apparent when I look at my list that the majority of the films I saw this year were some sort of good.
And there are many films currently in theaters, or not quite on dvd, which are supposed to be great but I have not yet seen. Up in the Air, An Education, Lorna's Silence being but a few such films.
I'm not putting up my whole list in full until the top 25. Here are some highlights from the top 50.
I thought this following movie was a fucking well-edited, insanely gripping goddamn blast:
50. G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (Stephen Sommers) - Yeah, that's right. Sommers knows how to film action scenes that feel coherent and have a sense of location. And he knows how to keep an action movie rolling.
Some great films nobody fucking saw apparently make up a large portion of the good films I saw this year:
39. Sauna (Antti-Jussi Annila)
38. Medicine for Melancholy (Barry Jenkins)
37. Pontypool (Bruce McDonald)
36. The Escapist (Rupert Wyatt)
34. I Sell the Dead (Glenn McQuaid)
33. Tulpan (Sergei Dvortsevoy)
32. The Chaser (Na Hong-jin)
31. I'm Gonna Explode (Gerardo Naranjo)
30. Three Monkeys (Nuri Bilge Ceylan)
29. Five Minutes of Heaven (Olivier Hirschbiegel)
27. Afterschool (Antonio Campos)
26. Zift (Javor Gardev)
25. Two Lovers (James Gray) - I guess if Joaquin never acts again, this is a fantastic performance to go out on.
24. The Girlfriend Experience (Stephen Soderbergh) - Witness the Glenn Kenny at his most disgusting.
23. The Brothers Bloom (Rian Johnson) - Wrongfully hated as an Anderson copy. I honestly don't see it. I see a wonderfully entertaining film about two brothers who love stories. With quirks....
22. Sugar (Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck) - After this and Half Nelson, apparently we can expect beautiful cinematography and disgruntled and unflinching character studies from these two filmmakers.
21. Drag Me to Hell (Sam Raimi) - Spook-a-blast master returning to what he's best at.
20. Public Enemies (Michael Mann) - No masterpiece, but an entertaining and well made account of Dillinger, none the less.
19. World's Greatest Dad (Bobcat Goldthwait) - This is pitch black. I don't know how robin Williams and his penis pulled it off.
18. The Headless Woman (Lucrecia Martel) - A disorienting account of a woman losing herself in the wake of a tragic accident.
17. Mary and Max (Adam Elliot) - Clay mation. It's ugly and beautiful. I cried.
16. Humpday (Lynn Shelton) - Much better than it looked. Genuinely moving story of two confused best friends.
15. Revanche (Gotz Spielmann) - A quietly devastating tale of emotional revenge.
14. Away We Go (Sam Mendes) - Not the Pitchfork/American Apparel film its ads promised. A heartwarming film of two uncertain and lost future parents.
13. Funny People (Judd Apatow) - It's long, loosely structured, and cruel, but it's an uncompromised vision from a great filmmaker and it has all the heart of his previous two masterpieces.
12. Bronson (Nicolas Winding Refn) - Absolutely insane film about an insane man with a riveting lead performance from Tom Hardy.
11. In the Loop (Armando Iannucci) - Takes the English language to places it's never been before.
10. Coraline (Henry Sellick) - Perfectly recreates the spirit of youth in Neil Gaiman's novel in the form of a visually wonderous and magical film.
9. The Informant (Stephen Soderbergh) - A wacky performance from Matt Damon's makes this film great. And the wonky score helps out too.
8. Antichrist (Lars von Trier) - Oh my fucking god. This movie is powerful in a number of ways. Its much publicized third act isn't even the most horrifying part.
7. Everlasting Moments (Jan Troell) - A lonely woman's life is changed when she discovers photography. It's simple and elegant, and a masterfully told story.
The rest were on the decade list:
6. Up (Pete Docter and Bob Peterson)
5. Ponyo (Hiyao Miyazaki)
4. Adventureland (Greg Mottola)
3. Summer Hours (Olivier Assayas)
2. Still Walking (Koreeda Hirokazu)
1. A Serious Man (Joel and Ethan Coen)
Fuck this decade. I'm done with it. Next year, in my head, promises us the return of Julie Andrews to the live action musical, and the death of psychadelic folk as the reigning musical genre of hipsters. I can't stand Grizzly Bear. Bring back the style of Strawberry Jam!
Oh, and Third Eye Blind's gonna make a comeback.
Count on it.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
2009 in Music.
I loved music this year. Here are some highlights.
My top ten of the year all made it into my decade list. I'll remind you:
10. Skeltonwitch - Breathing the Fire
9. Natural Snow Buildings - Shadow Kingdom
8. We Were Promised Jetpacks - These Four Walls
7. Altar of Plagues - White Tomb
6. Bike for Three! - More Heart than Brains (Why am I still the only person who's heard this?)
5. Skagos - Ast
4. Mount Eerie - Wind's Poem
3. Future of the Left - Travels with Myself and Another
2. Japandroids - Post-Nothing
1. Sunset Rubdown - Dragonslayer
The top 10 doesn't do the year justice.
Best Albums Everybody Ignored:
Ape Uprising by The Lord Weird Slough Feg
- Slough Feg dropped a whopper of an album this year. They incorporated more metal elements than ever before this time, with touches of doom and speed metal sprinkled throughout. It's as entertaining and fun as their best ones.
Gin by Cobalt
-This could be a new American black metal classic. It's full of progressive touches and creates an atmosphere of western industrialization over a wasteland. The whole album has a Western sort of feel to it. Nothing I've heard before in any black metal
The Misunderstood:
The Hazards of Love by The Decemberists (Pitchfork hated)
-Easily the least acclaimed Decemberists album, but it might be my favorite. I love the heavy rock influences they've added to the sound, and, as always, the storytelling is as immersive and fun as ever.
CrownsDown by Themselves
-An absolutely fantastic release from the Doesone led duo that was mostly passed off as just another subpar Anticon release. Doesone is insane with the speed of his delivery on this release, and the beats are fantastic.
30-11:
30. Blut aus Nord, Memoria Vestuta II: Dialogue with the Stars - epic black metal from France
29. Amesoeurs, Amesoeurs - A interesting sound created by mixing a little bit of black metal with 80s style post-punk.
28. Wardruna, Gap var Ginnunga - Stunning Neofolk with great uses of traditional instruments and haunting throat singing chants.
27. Loma Prieta, Dark Mountain - Their best release (of many) yet. Greatly satisfying screamo.
26. Mono, Hymn to the Immortal Wind (Pitchfork hated) - Beautiful, sweeping post-rock with epic string arrangements.
25. Dinosaur Jr., Farm - Their best since reforming this decade. Lively and crushing guitars.
24. Andrew Jackson Jihad, Can't Maintain - Danceable, emotional folk punk from a young group. Great violins and horns on select songs.
23. Celeste, Misanthrope(s) - blackened screamo with the former vocalist of Mihai Edrisch.
22. Raekwon, Only Built for Cuban Linx Pt. II - A new coke rap classic. Great guest spots from the whole WuTang clan.
21. Do Make Say Think, Other Turns - Another epic release from the jazzy post-rock masters.
20. Cursive, Mama, I'm Swollen (Pitchfork hated) - Continues the faith vs id themes of their last missstep Happy Hollow with turn around great success. The songs are personal and deeply emotional again.
19. Solstafir, Kold - Huge epic sludge metal songs. Not typically my favorite genre, but these guys fill every song to the brim with emotion.
18. Manchester Orchestra, Mean Everything to Nothing (Pitchfork hated) - A huge step up for these young pop-punkers. Sweeping, intellectual rock songs with a pop sensibility.
17. Wolves in the Throneroom, Black Cascade (Pitchfork hated) - They stripped down their sound to basic, raw black metal. It's uglier, but just as powerful as earlier releases.
16. Lucero, 1372 Park - The new major record label debut sacrifices none of the raw emotion of the Lucero sound, but adds great horn arrangements to the country tunes.
15. Drudkh, Microcosmos - A cosmic feeling black metal album from the Ukrainian masters. It's so huge in scope.
14. Natural Snow Buildings, Daughter of Darkness - A six-hour free-for-all into the wilderness of beautiful droning tones.
13. Converge, Axe to Fall - I used to hate this band. I was dumb.
12. Trophy Scars, Bad Luck - A concept album flawed by some OTN lyrics, but keeps with the Trophy Scars way of constantly shifting their sound.
11. Brand New, Daisy - The latest emotional rock masterpiece from the former pop-punk outfit. They're obviously unstoppable.
My top ten of the year all made it into my decade list. I'll remind you:
10. Skeltonwitch - Breathing the Fire
9. Natural Snow Buildings - Shadow Kingdom
8. We Were Promised Jetpacks - These Four Walls
7. Altar of Plagues - White Tomb
6. Bike for Three! - More Heart than Brains (Why am I still the only person who's heard this?)
5. Skagos - Ast
4. Mount Eerie - Wind's Poem
3. Future of the Left - Travels with Myself and Another
2. Japandroids - Post-Nothing
1. Sunset Rubdown - Dragonslayer
The top 10 doesn't do the year justice.
Best Albums Everybody Ignored:
Ape Uprising by The Lord Weird Slough Feg
- Slough Feg dropped a whopper of an album this year. They incorporated more metal elements than ever before this time, with touches of doom and speed metal sprinkled throughout. It's as entertaining and fun as their best ones.
Gin by Cobalt
-This could be a new American black metal classic. It's full of progressive touches and creates an atmosphere of western industrialization over a wasteland. The whole album has a Western sort of feel to it. Nothing I've heard before in any black metal
The Misunderstood:
The Hazards of Love by The Decemberists (Pitchfork hated)
-Easily the least acclaimed Decemberists album, but it might be my favorite. I love the heavy rock influences they've added to the sound, and, as always, the storytelling is as immersive and fun as ever.
CrownsDown by Themselves
-An absolutely fantastic release from the Doesone led duo that was mostly passed off as just another subpar Anticon release. Doesone is insane with the speed of his delivery on this release, and the beats are fantastic.
30-11:
30. Blut aus Nord, Memoria Vestuta II: Dialogue with the Stars - epic black metal from France
29. Amesoeurs, Amesoeurs - A interesting sound created by mixing a little bit of black metal with 80s style post-punk.
28. Wardruna, Gap var Ginnunga - Stunning Neofolk with great uses of traditional instruments and haunting throat singing chants.
27. Loma Prieta, Dark Mountain - Their best release (of many) yet. Greatly satisfying screamo.
26. Mono, Hymn to the Immortal Wind (Pitchfork hated) - Beautiful, sweeping post-rock with epic string arrangements.
25. Dinosaur Jr., Farm - Their best since reforming this decade. Lively and crushing guitars.
24. Andrew Jackson Jihad, Can't Maintain - Danceable, emotional folk punk from a young group. Great violins and horns on select songs.
23. Celeste, Misanthrope(s) - blackened screamo with the former vocalist of Mihai Edrisch.
22. Raekwon, Only Built for Cuban Linx Pt. II - A new coke rap classic. Great guest spots from the whole WuTang clan.
21. Do Make Say Think, Other Turns - Another epic release from the jazzy post-rock masters.
20. Cursive, Mama, I'm Swollen (Pitchfork hated) - Continues the faith vs id themes of their last missstep Happy Hollow with turn around great success. The songs are personal and deeply emotional again.
19. Solstafir, Kold - Huge epic sludge metal songs. Not typically my favorite genre, but these guys fill every song to the brim with emotion.
18. Manchester Orchestra, Mean Everything to Nothing (Pitchfork hated) - A huge step up for these young pop-punkers. Sweeping, intellectual rock songs with a pop sensibility.
17. Wolves in the Throneroom, Black Cascade (Pitchfork hated) - They stripped down their sound to basic, raw black metal. It's uglier, but just as powerful as earlier releases.
16. Lucero, 1372 Park - The new major record label debut sacrifices none of the raw emotion of the Lucero sound, but adds great horn arrangements to the country tunes.
15. Drudkh, Microcosmos - A cosmic feeling black metal album from the Ukrainian masters. It's so huge in scope.
14. Natural Snow Buildings, Daughter of Darkness - A six-hour free-for-all into the wilderness of beautiful droning tones.
13. Converge, Axe to Fall - I used to hate this band. I was dumb.
12. Trophy Scars, Bad Luck - A concept album flawed by some OTN lyrics, but keeps with the Trophy Scars way of constantly shifting their sound.
11. Brand New, Daisy - The latest emotional rock masterpiece from the former pop-punk outfit. They're obviously unstoppable.
"God, I wish I could hate you..."
Midtown.
Midtown was a pop-punk band that peaked with their first album Save the World, Lose the Girl. It wasn't amazing, but it was a surprisingly emotional and sincerely angry album. The three singers went back and forth to create an interesting dynamic, and the album revealed them to really be just a few guys who wanted to fucking rock out.
Their greatest song is the album opener "Just Rock 'N' Roll" (yeah), and it was their first single. The opening line is all three vocalists shouting "God, I wish I could hate you for the rest of my life!" The song is catchy as hell, and legitimately biting in its tone.
That guy in the middle playing bass, that guy is Gabe Saporta. He broke up Midtown, which by itself isn't very sad or anything. It's what he does now that kills me inside.
Now he does this:
He's the singer of Cobra Starship. Creators of such classics as "Bring It (Snakes on a Plane)", "Good Girls Go Bad", and "Hot Mess".
They're so terrible. I love it when he "raps".
People eat this shit up, too. They're all over MTV, the radio, clubs. It's insane. Enjoy their hit single.
Sorry, rant over.
Midtown was a pop-punk band that peaked with their first album Save the World, Lose the Girl. It wasn't amazing, but it was a surprisingly emotional and sincerely angry album. The three singers went back and forth to create an interesting dynamic, and the album revealed them to really be just a few guys who wanted to fucking rock out.
Their greatest song is the album opener "Just Rock 'N' Roll" (yeah), and it was their first single. The opening line is all three vocalists shouting "God, I wish I could hate you for the rest of my life!" The song is catchy as hell, and legitimately biting in its tone.
That guy in the middle playing bass, that guy is Gabe Saporta. He broke up Midtown, which by itself isn't very sad or anything. It's what he does now that kills me inside.
Now he does this:
He's the singer of Cobra Starship. Creators of such classics as "Bring It (Snakes on a Plane)", "Good Girls Go Bad", and "Hot Mess".
They're so terrible. I love it when he "raps".
People eat this shit up, too. They're all over MTV, the radio, clubs. It's insane. Enjoy their hit single.
Sorry, rant over.
Monday, December 21, 2009
The decade in films, part 4
30. All the Real Girls (David Gordon Green, 2003) - Green's masterpiece is a beautiful, whistful romantic comedy.
29. Synecdoche, NY (Charlie Kaufman, 2008) - An unrelenting, uncompromised personal vision from a certifiable crazy person. Kaufman got criticisms for not having any visual flair with the camera. I don't know what these people were watching. Every frame is filled to the brim with impossibly tiny details. It's all just in a movie that is very gray. A gray that perfectly suits its decaying protagonist.
28. Children of Men (Alfonso Cuaron, 2006) - A terrifying post-apocalyptic vision that takes the "no hope for humanity" thing to a new, literal level. Cuaron's camera work is absolutely staggering, creating some of the most tense set pieces this decade.
27. Mulholland Dr. (David Lynch, 2001) - I hated this movie the first time I saw it when I was 13. Over the years, I've become less of an idiot and have come to regard it as a masterpiece. The descent into hell is slow and controlled, and the world is absorbing.
26. Amores Perros (Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, 2001) - Inarritu's crowning achievement is 3 separate narratives tied together by dogs. It's brutal and powerful.
25. A Very Long Engagement (Jean-Pierre Jeunet, 2004) - Jeunet's best film, it's intense emotional content is potent and powerful. I dare you to not cry.
24. The Triplets of Belleville (Sylvain Chomet, 2003) - Chomet's joyous film is like an animated version of a Jacques Tati film (obviously no coincidence as he is currently developing an unfilmed Tati script), with a visual steampunk bent. It's absurd, hilarious, and dialogue free.
23. I Heart Huckabees (David O. Russel, 2004) - An absurd, philosophical comedy about life. It Dustin Hoffman and Lily Tomlin at their comedic best, and Mark Whalberg with a stand out performance. It's so lighthearted and hilarious, but manages to pack a legitimate philosphical punch.
22. Waking Life (Richard Linklater, 2001) - Linklater's animated dream is a rambling mess of weirdos and ideas that magically comes together to create an incredibly thought provoking and absorbing experience.
21. Russian Ark (Aleksandr Sokurov, 2002) - It's one shot. One 90 minute shot. It's ambitious and experimental, but fortunately it's also more than that. It's a journey through a living museum of Russian history that isn't actually about the history. It's entertaining and beautiful.
20. Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter....and Spring (Kim Ki-Duk, 2004) - A small lake houses a lone buddhist monk who raises a boy. We see him grow in stages mirroring the seasons. It's a beautiful, quiet and contemplative film about, escaping your past, and the peace found in faith.
19. Devils on the Doorstep (Jiang Wen, 2002) - A blackly comic epic set in rural China during WWII. Wen's use of black and white photography creates the perfect look for all the hard moral decisions that go down in this tale of a town left with 2 prisoners and no instructions.
18. Friday Night Lights (Peter Berg, 2004) - The greatest sports film ever made. Beautiful cinematography, a perfect soundtrack and naturalistic performances, combine with intense frenetic editing, and entertaining-as-hell football action scenes to make this one of the most purely enjoyable experiences this decade.
17. Punch-Drunk Love (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2002) - Anderson's best is a small, intimate character study of a socially awkward man, a role perfectly suited to star Adam Sandler.
16. Requiem for a Dream (Darren Aronofsky, 2000) - A brutal, unrelenting, dark, and powerful depiction of drug addiction and dependency in 4 desparate people that all deal in different ways. It's given such astounding visual beauty, that at times you almost feel okay about watching these people spiral headlong into their doomed fates.
15. Downfall (Oliver Hirschbiegel, 2005) - An intimate portrait of Hitler in his last days, played beautifully by legendary Bruno Ganz.
14. Spider-Man 2 (Sam Raimi, 2004) - Sam Raimi perfectly creates a live-action cartoon that has a wonderfully wide range of emotions on full display. It is far and away the greatest super hero film ever made. Spider-Man is a very human character, and Sam Raimi makes sure he stays grounded in human behavior. I can't even imagine a greater super hero film. This one is actually everything I can think I could ever want out of one.
13. Spirited Away (Hayao Miyazaki, 2002) - Miyazaki's masterpiece is a kid-friendly tale about a girl lost in a magical world. Miyaziki's imagination has created a world so fully realized and beautiful and imbued with so much joy and love that it's overwhelming.
12. Oldboy (Park Chan-Wook, 2005) - A violent, vengeful masterpiec that flows poetic blood and justice. It makes you squirm and cheer, and marvel in its visual beauty.
11. Lost in Translation (Sofia Coppola, 2003) - Bill Murray's best performance? It definitely made us think Scarlett Johansson would be worth keeping up with. Every moment of this is powerful and honest. And fuck that guy that published what Murray's character whispered at the end.
10. Before Sunset (Richard Linklater, 2004) - What can I say? I love a good, well written Walk-n-Talk. Tell that ending doesn't just put butterfly's in your stomach and make you want to cry from joy.
9. Werckmeister Harmonies (Bela Tarr, 2001) - A bleak, chilling tale set in a rural town literally surrounded by frost that starts to unravel with the arrival of a strange circus tent. Every frame makes me cold. Every shot is multiple minutes long. Every word enigmatic and thought provoking.
8. The Return (Andrei Zvyagintsev, 2004) - A father, known to his sons only through a single photograph, comes back and takes them on an emotional rollercoaster of a road trip. It's insane yet quiet, brutal and intimate, and it made me fall in love with Russian landscapes.
7. Head-On (Fatih Akin, 2005) - A dirty, erotic tale of loveless sex, forbidden loves, immigration in Europe, and personal identity. It has what has to be the greatest lead performance by a former pornstar in film history in Sibel Kekilli's turn as a suicidal Turk in Germany trying to escape the repression of her family.
6. Yi Yi (Edward Yang, 2000) - An epic portrait of a single family, the members of which are all going through vastly different phases of their lives. It's a film that confirms life. Every moment of it is beautiful and rich.
5. Almost Famous (Cameron Crowe, 2000) - This one's easy, I know. It so easily connects with its youthful watchers, I almost want to hate it. But instead I find it to be almost perfect, even in its over the top, cornball moments, like when the whole tour bus starts singing along to "Tiny Dancer". It's just so personal, and heart warming, and the performances so dead on from everybody involved.
4. Dogville (Lars von Trier, 2004) - This film is unlike anything before it. A total game changer for me. It destroyed my preconceptions of what cinema had to be. And it did it with a shockingly human tale of greed, fear, and hate. Nicole Kidman is a revelation, and Paul Bettany is a cold, exact depiction of the underlying evil in humanity.
3. In The Mood for Love (Wong Kar-Wai, 2000) - My vote for the most beautiful film ever made. Christopher Doyle's camerawork and lighting are the most lush and penetrating he's ever accomplished. Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung are perfect as the forbidden lovers. And holy fuck, that theme! My favorite use of music in film this decade.
2. City of God (Fernando Meirelles, 2003) - A crime masterpiece. Absolutely engaging and shockingly brutal account of two youths in the slums of Rio de Janiero. It's very much in your face, and Meirelles doesn't take us out of the action for a single second.
1. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Michel Gondry, 2004) - No other film in the history of film has conveyed such a wide range of emotion so successfully, with accompaniment of such beautifully striking visuals and camerwork, in a story so original and engrossing, with such a perfectly toned score to enhance every visual and emotion in it, and also with such perfect performances from its leads, Jim Carrey and the marvelous Kate Winslet. It's my perfect film.
So i know I forgot or left off a couple of things. The two most important are Pen-Ek Ratanaruang's 2004 drama Last Life in the Universe and Fernando Meirelles' 2005 thriller The Constant Gardener. I love both of these films very much and they should both be very high on this list. I'm really just an idiot, and fucking forgot.
29. Synecdoche, NY (Charlie Kaufman, 2008) - An unrelenting, uncompromised personal vision from a certifiable crazy person. Kaufman got criticisms for not having any visual flair with the camera. I don't know what these people were watching. Every frame is filled to the brim with impossibly tiny details. It's all just in a movie that is very gray. A gray that perfectly suits its decaying protagonist.
28. Children of Men (Alfonso Cuaron, 2006) - A terrifying post-apocalyptic vision that takes the "no hope for humanity" thing to a new, literal level. Cuaron's camera work is absolutely staggering, creating some of the most tense set pieces this decade.
27. Mulholland Dr. (David Lynch, 2001) - I hated this movie the first time I saw it when I was 13. Over the years, I've become less of an idiot and have come to regard it as a masterpiece. The descent into hell is slow and controlled, and the world is absorbing.
26. Amores Perros (Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, 2001) - Inarritu's crowning achievement is 3 separate narratives tied together by dogs. It's brutal and powerful.
25. A Very Long Engagement (Jean-Pierre Jeunet, 2004) - Jeunet's best film, it's intense emotional content is potent and powerful. I dare you to not cry.
24. The Triplets of Belleville (Sylvain Chomet, 2003) - Chomet's joyous film is like an animated version of a Jacques Tati film (obviously no coincidence as he is currently developing an unfilmed Tati script), with a visual steampunk bent. It's absurd, hilarious, and dialogue free.
23. I Heart Huckabees (David O. Russel, 2004) - An absurd, philosophical comedy about life. It Dustin Hoffman and Lily Tomlin at their comedic best, and Mark Whalberg with a stand out performance. It's so lighthearted and hilarious, but manages to pack a legitimate philosphical punch.
22. Waking Life (Richard Linklater, 2001) - Linklater's animated dream is a rambling mess of weirdos and ideas that magically comes together to create an incredibly thought provoking and absorbing experience.
21. Russian Ark (Aleksandr Sokurov, 2002) - It's one shot. One 90 minute shot. It's ambitious and experimental, but fortunately it's also more than that. It's a journey through a living museum of Russian history that isn't actually about the history. It's entertaining and beautiful.
20. Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter....and Spring (Kim Ki-Duk, 2004) - A small lake houses a lone buddhist monk who raises a boy. We see him grow in stages mirroring the seasons. It's a beautiful, quiet and contemplative film about, escaping your past, and the peace found in faith.
19. Devils on the Doorstep (Jiang Wen, 2002) - A blackly comic epic set in rural China during WWII. Wen's use of black and white photography creates the perfect look for all the hard moral decisions that go down in this tale of a town left with 2 prisoners and no instructions.
18. Friday Night Lights (Peter Berg, 2004) - The greatest sports film ever made. Beautiful cinematography, a perfect soundtrack and naturalistic performances, combine with intense frenetic editing, and entertaining-as-hell football action scenes to make this one of the most purely enjoyable experiences this decade.
17. Punch-Drunk Love (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2002) - Anderson's best is a small, intimate character study of a socially awkward man, a role perfectly suited to star Adam Sandler.
16. Requiem for a Dream (Darren Aronofsky, 2000) - A brutal, unrelenting, dark, and powerful depiction of drug addiction and dependency in 4 desparate people that all deal in different ways. It's given such astounding visual beauty, that at times you almost feel okay about watching these people spiral headlong into their doomed fates.
15. Downfall (Oliver Hirschbiegel, 2005) - An intimate portrait of Hitler in his last days, played beautifully by legendary Bruno Ganz.
14. Spider-Man 2 (Sam Raimi, 2004) - Sam Raimi perfectly creates a live-action cartoon that has a wonderfully wide range of emotions on full display. It is far and away the greatest super hero film ever made. Spider-Man is a very human character, and Sam Raimi makes sure he stays grounded in human behavior. I can't even imagine a greater super hero film. This one is actually everything I can think I could ever want out of one.
13. Spirited Away (Hayao Miyazaki, 2002) - Miyazaki's masterpiece is a kid-friendly tale about a girl lost in a magical world. Miyaziki's imagination has created a world so fully realized and beautiful and imbued with so much joy and love that it's overwhelming.
12. Oldboy (Park Chan-Wook, 2005) - A violent, vengeful masterpiec that flows poetic blood and justice. It makes you squirm and cheer, and marvel in its visual beauty.
11. Lost in Translation (Sofia Coppola, 2003) - Bill Murray's best performance? It definitely made us think Scarlett Johansson would be worth keeping up with. Every moment of this is powerful and honest. And fuck that guy that published what Murray's character whispered at the end.
10. Before Sunset (Richard Linklater, 2004) - What can I say? I love a good, well written Walk-n-Talk. Tell that ending doesn't just put butterfly's in your stomach and make you want to cry from joy.
9. Werckmeister Harmonies (Bela Tarr, 2001) - A bleak, chilling tale set in a rural town literally surrounded by frost that starts to unravel with the arrival of a strange circus tent. Every frame makes me cold. Every shot is multiple minutes long. Every word enigmatic and thought provoking.
8. The Return (Andrei Zvyagintsev, 2004) - A father, known to his sons only through a single photograph, comes back and takes them on an emotional rollercoaster of a road trip. It's insane yet quiet, brutal and intimate, and it made me fall in love with Russian landscapes.
7. Head-On (Fatih Akin, 2005) - A dirty, erotic tale of loveless sex, forbidden loves, immigration in Europe, and personal identity. It has what has to be the greatest lead performance by a former pornstar in film history in Sibel Kekilli's turn as a suicidal Turk in Germany trying to escape the repression of her family.
6. Yi Yi (Edward Yang, 2000) - An epic portrait of a single family, the members of which are all going through vastly different phases of their lives. It's a film that confirms life. Every moment of it is beautiful and rich.
5. Almost Famous (Cameron Crowe, 2000) - This one's easy, I know. It so easily connects with its youthful watchers, I almost want to hate it. But instead I find it to be almost perfect, even in its over the top, cornball moments, like when the whole tour bus starts singing along to "Tiny Dancer". It's just so personal, and heart warming, and the performances so dead on from everybody involved.
4. Dogville (Lars von Trier, 2004) - This film is unlike anything before it. A total game changer for me. It destroyed my preconceptions of what cinema had to be. And it did it with a shockingly human tale of greed, fear, and hate. Nicole Kidman is a revelation, and Paul Bettany is a cold, exact depiction of the underlying evil in humanity.
3. In The Mood for Love (Wong Kar-Wai, 2000) - My vote for the most beautiful film ever made. Christopher Doyle's camerawork and lighting are the most lush and penetrating he's ever accomplished. Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung are perfect as the forbidden lovers. And holy fuck, that theme! My favorite use of music in film this decade.
2. City of God (Fernando Meirelles, 2003) - A crime masterpiece. Absolutely engaging and shockingly brutal account of two youths in the slums of Rio de Janiero. It's very much in your face, and Meirelles doesn't take us out of the action for a single second.
1. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Michel Gondry, 2004) - No other film in the history of film has conveyed such a wide range of emotion so successfully, with accompaniment of such beautifully striking visuals and camerwork, in a story so original and engrossing, with such a perfectly toned score to enhance every visual and emotion in it, and also with such perfect performances from its leads, Jim Carrey and the marvelous Kate Winslet. It's my perfect film.
So i know I forgot or left off a couple of things. The two most important are Pen-Ek Ratanaruang's 2004 drama Last Life in the Universe and Fernando Meirelles' 2005 thriller The Constant Gardener. I love both of these films very much and they should both be very high on this list. I'm really just an idiot, and fucking forgot.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
the decade in films, part 3
50. The Proposition (John Hillcoat, 2006) - Disgusting and dirty, yet beautiful western with a great score by Nick Cave
49. 2046 (Wong Kar-Wai, 2005) - One of many of the director's masterpieces featuring the lush, beautiful cinematography of Christopher Doyle
48. Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem (Kazuhisa Takenochi, 2003) - The masterful Daft Punk anime feature.
47. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (Andrew Dominik, 2007) - A beautifully shot, deliberately paced character study with fantastic performances and Nick Cave's greatest film compositions.
46. Good Night, and Good Luck (George Clooney, 2005) - A simplyand lovingly told account of Edward Murrow's campaign against McCarthy with a career defining performance from David Strathairn.
45. Ratcatcher (Lynne Ramsay, 2000) - A deeply personal and punishing account of youth in poverty.
44. Dancer in the Dark (Lars von Trier, 2000) - Heartbreaking and beautiful lo-fi musical. It's the weirdest idea ever but Trier makes it work.
43. Memories of Murder (Bong Joon-ho, 2003) - A sprawling and obsessive crime procedural set in a small town with an inept local cop, cold city cop, and mentally challenged tag along all hunting down a local serial killer. It resembles Fincher's later Zodiac in more than a few ways. It maintains a surreal and uplifting sense of humor throughout.
42. Still Walking (Hirokazu Koreeda, 2009) - More than just an Ozu imitation, tells the story of a family full of conflict and tension without actually having to show any of either.
41. 25th Hour (Spike Lee, 2002) - Edward Norton's best performance, and easily Spike Lee's best this decade.
40. Traffic (Steven Soderbergh, 2000) - 3 masterfully interwoven drug tales with such a seemingly simple color coordinated dynamic that would be impossible to pull off in the wake of this film.
39. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Peter Jackson, 2003) - What I initially forgot. Yeah, I'm an idiot. This is my favorite of the trilogy. Suck it.
38. American Psycho (Mary Harron, 2003) A beautifully satirical portrait of 1980s urban culture. It remains faithful while adding its own bent on Bret Easton Ellis' original text.
37. The Lives of Others (Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, 2007) - A quietly devastating thriller/drama set in Eastern Germany. Donnersmarck perfectly recreates the cold, colorless feel of Communist rule.
36. There Will Be Blood (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2007) - Daniel Day Lewis gives the best performance of the decade in this sprawling epic of greed.
35. A Serious Man (Coen Brothers, 2009) - The banalities of life, the realization of mortality, and the mysteries of the universe are all subjects in the Coens' masterpiece of being lost in your life and searching for answers in the Jewish faith.
34. The Best of Youth (Marco Tullia Giordana, 2005) - A beautiful, sprawling tale of siblings going in different directions in Italy. 6 hours. Worth every minute.
33. The Station Agent (Thomas McCarthy, 2003) - All about loneliness, new friendships, and train conductors. Impossibly heartfelt and emotional. It feels like people have completely forgotten about this movie.
32. Memento (Christopher Nolan, 2001) - Everyone's favorite backwards moving crime thriller is Nolan's greatest achievement. Its gimmick surprisingly doesn't wear off on repeat viewings.
31. Everything is Illuminated (Liev Schrieber, 2005) - A beautiful road trip through rural Ukraine is the centerpiece of a quiet, emotional little film that introduced the world to the charismatic and hilarious Euguene Hutz.
49. 2046 (Wong Kar-Wai, 2005) - One of many of the director's masterpieces featuring the lush, beautiful cinematography of Christopher Doyle
48. Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem (Kazuhisa Takenochi, 2003) - The masterful Daft Punk anime feature.
47. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (Andrew Dominik, 2007) - A beautifully shot, deliberately paced character study with fantastic performances and Nick Cave's greatest film compositions.
46. Good Night, and Good Luck (George Clooney, 2005) - A simplyand lovingly told account of Edward Murrow's campaign against McCarthy with a career defining performance from David Strathairn.
45. Ratcatcher (Lynne Ramsay, 2000) - A deeply personal and punishing account of youth in poverty.
44. Dancer in the Dark (Lars von Trier, 2000) - Heartbreaking and beautiful lo-fi musical. It's the weirdest idea ever but Trier makes it work.
43. Memories of Murder (Bong Joon-ho, 2003) - A sprawling and obsessive crime procedural set in a small town with an inept local cop, cold city cop, and mentally challenged tag along all hunting down a local serial killer. It resembles Fincher's later Zodiac in more than a few ways. It maintains a surreal and uplifting sense of humor throughout.
42. Still Walking (Hirokazu Koreeda, 2009) - More than just an Ozu imitation, tells the story of a family full of conflict and tension without actually having to show any of either.
41. 25th Hour (Spike Lee, 2002) - Edward Norton's best performance, and easily Spike Lee's best this decade.
40. Traffic (Steven Soderbergh, 2000) - 3 masterfully interwoven drug tales with such a seemingly simple color coordinated dynamic that would be impossible to pull off in the wake of this film.
39. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Peter Jackson, 2003) - What I initially forgot. Yeah, I'm an idiot. This is my favorite of the trilogy. Suck it.
38. American Psycho (Mary Harron, 2003) A beautifully satirical portrait of 1980s urban culture. It remains faithful while adding its own bent on Bret Easton Ellis' original text.
37. The Lives of Others (Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, 2007) - A quietly devastating thriller/drama set in Eastern Germany. Donnersmarck perfectly recreates the cold, colorless feel of Communist rule.
36. There Will Be Blood (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2007) - Daniel Day Lewis gives the best performance of the decade in this sprawling epic of greed.
35. A Serious Man (Coen Brothers, 2009) - The banalities of life, the realization of mortality, and the mysteries of the universe are all subjects in the Coens' masterpiece of being lost in your life and searching for answers in the Jewish faith.
34. The Best of Youth (Marco Tullia Giordana, 2005) - A beautiful, sprawling tale of siblings going in different directions in Italy. 6 hours. Worth every minute.
33. The Station Agent (Thomas McCarthy, 2003) - All about loneliness, new friendships, and train conductors. Impossibly heartfelt and emotional. It feels like people have completely forgotten about this movie.
32. Memento (Christopher Nolan, 2001) - Everyone's favorite backwards moving crime thriller is Nolan's greatest achievement. Its gimmick surprisingly doesn't wear off on repeat viewings.
31. Everything is Illuminated (Liev Schrieber, 2005) - A beautiful road trip through rural Ukraine is the centerpiece of a quiet, emotional little film that introduced the world to the charismatic and hilarious Euguene Hutz.
Friday, December 18, 2009
The decade in films, part 2 (And Avatar)
No, James Cameron's Avatar is not on the decade best list. I just had to briefly mention it, and it wasn't worth a separate post. Yeah, that's right. I really didn't see anything that all the enthusiastic reviewers saw. Yeah, it was colorful and had impressive 3D effects, but a masterpiece those do not make. All of its story beats were predictable, every character was flat, the world well designed but without any global scope until the very end (sort of. Turns out Jake recruits from around the world in the course of one full day). Cameron clumsily throws the audience exposition and plot development so that we can get on to seeing his beautiful world, but it doesn't impress for 2 and a half hours.
On to the list.
So let's just pretend I started with #101. I totally forgot to include a movie higher on the list, so I'm correcting it. It was Lord of the Rings. Yeah, I'm dumb.
76. Together (Lukas Moodysson, 2001) - A light-hearted, but moving story of commune life and basic human emotions.
75. Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (Park Chan-wook, 2005) - The first in the vengeance trilogy but not released in the U.S. until well after Oldboy, it's a quiet, cold meditation on desperation and violence.
74. Knocked Up (Judd Apatow, 2007) - A deeply hilarious and affecting tale of growing up and taking responsibility, beautifully told by Apatow with fantastic performances from all involved.
73. Let the Right One In (Tomas Alfredson, 2008) - A dark as hell child vampire story loaded with atmosphere.
72. What Time is it There? (Tsai Ming-Liang,2002) - The greatest from Thai master. Wonderfullydepicts the loss in distance and the sense of fear and uncomfortability in being a fish out of water.
71. Shaun of the Dead (Edgar Wright, 2004) - A great buddy/zombie comedy
70. Cache (Michael Haneke, 2005) - A quietly devastating examination of past regrets resurfacing.
69. Pulse (Kiyoshi Kurosawa, 2005) - Impossibly convoluted and confusing, but scary as fucking hell.
68. My Winnipeg (Guy Maddin, 2008) - Maddin's "autobiographical" farce of life in his hometown, is hypnotic and hilarious, and even its blatant falsehoods ring true in the spirit in which they're presented.
67. Kill Bill vol. 2 (Quentin Tarantino, 2004) - The dialogue filled, spaghetti flavored volume is my preffered film. It has all the emtional content in the series, while also having the great action. The final confrontation is one of the decade's best scenes.
66. Rules of Attraction (Roger Avary, 2002) - Yeah, I've always loved the shit out of this movie. It perfectly maintains the spirit of Ellis' original text, while making it wonderfully cinematic. It's vapid and superficial at first glance, but reveals layers of deep sadness in its satirical tone.
65. Pan's Labyrinth (Guillermo del Toro, 2006) - Highest reviewed film of the decade. Bam.
64. The Royal Tenenbaums (Wes Anderson, 2001) - The dysfunctional family drama of the decade showed Anderson's ultra-stylized look at its most successful.
63. Adventureland (Greg Mottola, 2009) - A great story of post-grad loss of self with perfectly written and developed characters.
62. Hero (Zhang Yimou, 2004) - A Rashomon style tale of political assissanation in Ancient China. It has some of the most beautiful cinematography in film history.
61. Lilya 4-ever (Lukas Moodysson, 2003) - Moodysson left behind happy filmmaking to craft what might be the most bleak film I've ever seen. A young girl gets wrapped up in sex trafficing to predictably depressing results. It's an almost perfect film, but I don't know if I could ever watch it again.
60. The Wrestler (Darren Aronofsky, 2008) - Aronofsky's minimalist tale of a washed up wrestler is heartbreaking in its quieter moments and totally sob-worthy in its bigger ones. It earns every tear.
59. The Squid and the Whale (Noah Baumbach, 2005) - Brutally honest and personal story of impressionable youth.
58. 28 Days Later (Danny Boyle, 2003) - A bleak, wandering post-apocalyptic masterpiece.
57. Brick (Rian Johnson, 2006) - Perfectly transplants classic noir into a modern highschool setting to create a fantastic, hard-boiled tale of murder and drugs.
56. Amelie (Jean-Pierre Jeunet, 2001) - A loveletter to Paris and the joy of cinema. It smartly sacrifices a traditional story arc to bask in the joy and fun of its characters.
55. Summer Hours (Olivier Assayas, 2009) - A beautiful study of family bonds and a family's relationship with material items from the past.
54. You Can Count on Me (Kenneth Lonergan, 2000) - Perfect performances from Laura Linny and Mark Ruffalo elevate this already great story of two siblings who come head-to-head when their ideals and plans for the future clash.
53. The New World (Terrence Malick, 2005) - Suck it, bitches. This film is absolutely beautiful.
52. Zodiac (David Fincher, 2007) - Fincher's obsessive masterpiece is getting even better with age. Is any other film a more perfect reflection of its maker?
51. The Edge of Heaven (Faith Akin, 2008) - A multi-storied tale of identity, forgiveness, and prejudice in Germany and Turkey.
On to the list.
So let's just pretend I started with #101. I totally forgot to include a movie higher on the list, so I'm correcting it. It was Lord of the Rings. Yeah, I'm dumb.
76. Together (Lukas Moodysson, 2001) - A light-hearted, but moving story of commune life and basic human emotions.
75. Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (Park Chan-wook, 2005) - The first in the vengeance trilogy but not released in the U.S. until well after Oldboy, it's a quiet, cold meditation on desperation and violence.
74. Knocked Up (Judd Apatow, 2007) - A deeply hilarious and affecting tale of growing up and taking responsibility, beautifully told by Apatow with fantastic performances from all involved.
73. Let the Right One In (Tomas Alfredson, 2008) - A dark as hell child vampire story loaded with atmosphere.
72. What Time is it There? (Tsai Ming-Liang,2002) - The greatest from Thai master. Wonderfullydepicts the loss in distance and the sense of fear and uncomfortability in being a fish out of water.
71. Shaun of the Dead (Edgar Wright, 2004) - A great buddy/zombie comedy
70. Cache (Michael Haneke, 2005) - A quietly devastating examination of past regrets resurfacing.
69. Pulse (Kiyoshi Kurosawa, 2005) - Impossibly convoluted and confusing, but scary as fucking hell.
68. My Winnipeg (Guy Maddin, 2008) - Maddin's "autobiographical" farce of life in his hometown, is hypnotic and hilarious, and even its blatant falsehoods ring true in the spirit in which they're presented.
67. Kill Bill vol. 2 (Quentin Tarantino, 2004) - The dialogue filled, spaghetti flavored volume is my preffered film. It has all the emtional content in the series, while also having the great action. The final confrontation is one of the decade's best scenes.
66. Rules of Attraction (Roger Avary, 2002) - Yeah, I've always loved the shit out of this movie. It perfectly maintains the spirit of Ellis' original text, while making it wonderfully cinematic. It's vapid and superficial at first glance, but reveals layers of deep sadness in its satirical tone.
65. Pan's Labyrinth (Guillermo del Toro, 2006) - Highest reviewed film of the decade. Bam.
64. The Royal Tenenbaums (Wes Anderson, 2001) - The dysfunctional family drama of the decade showed Anderson's ultra-stylized look at its most successful.
63. Adventureland (Greg Mottola, 2009) - A great story of post-grad loss of self with perfectly written and developed characters.
62. Hero (Zhang Yimou, 2004) - A Rashomon style tale of political assissanation in Ancient China. It has some of the most beautiful cinematography in film history.
61. Lilya 4-ever (Lukas Moodysson, 2003) - Moodysson left behind happy filmmaking to craft what might be the most bleak film I've ever seen. A young girl gets wrapped up in sex trafficing to predictably depressing results. It's an almost perfect film, but I don't know if I could ever watch it again.
60. The Wrestler (Darren Aronofsky, 2008) - Aronofsky's minimalist tale of a washed up wrestler is heartbreaking in its quieter moments and totally sob-worthy in its bigger ones. It earns every tear.
59. The Squid and the Whale (Noah Baumbach, 2005) - Brutally honest and personal story of impressionable youth.
58. 28 Days Later (Danny Boyle, 2003) - A bleak, wandering post-apocalyptic masterpiece.
57. Brick (Rian Johnson, 2006) - Perfectly transplants classic noir into a modern highschool setting to create a fantastic, hard-boiled tale of murder and drugs.
56. Amelie (Jean-Pierre Jeunet, 2001) - A loveletter to Paris and the joy of cinema. It smartly sacrifices a traditional story arc to bask in the joy and fun of its characters.
55. Summer Hours (Olivier Assayas, 2009) - A beautiful study of family bonds and a family's relationship with material items from the past.
54. You Can Count on Me (Kenneth Lonergan, 2000) - Perfect performances from Laura Linny and Mark Ruffalo elevate this already great story of two siblings who come head-to-head when their ideals and plans for the future clash.
53. The New World (Terrence Malick, 2005) - Suck it, bitches. This film is absolutely beautiful.
52. Zodiac (David Fincher, 2007) - Fincher's obsessive masterpiece is getting even better with age. Is any other film a more perfect reflection of its maker?
51. The Edge of Heaven (Faith Akin, 2008) - A multi-storied tale of identity, forgiveness, and prejudice in Germany and Turkey.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Two Dudes Fucking
Lynn Shelton's mumblecore "bromance" Humpday never really interested me as I was reading about it at various festivals and when it got its theatrical run earlier this year. I've really only liked the Duplass Brothers' The Puffy Chair, as far as mumblecore goes, and the premise of two guys who macho dick swing themselves into fucking eachother on film sounded like it could only be incredibly forced.
Well, it's not. It's actually pretty wonderful. Ben and Andrew (Mark Duplass and Joshua Leonard) have a totally believable relationship that would end up landing them both in a beige hotel room, trying to fuck.
They're old friends whose lives have gone in different directions, and when traveling artsy pretentious Ben shows up at domesticated Andrew's house, there is immediately some subtle tension between them. He becomes downright condescending to Andrew, who of course has to prove he's not some house pet, but is indeed still....masculine.
It's all about masculinity, and homoerotic tendencies. There are some sequences which hammer this in a little too obviously, but for the most part the film does it very successfully. And watching Ben being reduced to an idiotic neanderthal in the face of his wife is truly sad, but honest in its depiction of how males behave when their masculinity is tested.
And the though of having to one-up your straight best friend by saying you'll fuck him is rather funny.
All of my preconceptions of this film were way off, I'm loathe to admit. But I'm glad I forced myself to watch such a rewarding, honest film.
Well, it's not. It's actually pretty wonderful. Ben and Andrew (Mark Duplass and Joshua Leonard) have a totally believable relationship that would end up landing them both in a beige hotel room, trying to fuck.
They're old friends whose lives have gone in different directions, and when traveling artsy pretentious Ben shows up at domesticated Andrew's house, there is immediately some subtle tension between them. He becomes downright condescending to Andrew, who of course has to prove he's not some house pet, but is indeed still....masculine.
It's all about masculinity, and homoerotic tendencies. There are some sequences which hammer this in a little too obviously, but for the most part the film does it very successfully. And watching Ben being reduced to an idiotic neanderthal in the face of his wife is truly sad, but honest in its depiction of how males behave when their masculinity is tested.
And the though of having to one-up your straight best friend by saying you'll fuck him is rather funny.
All of my preconceptions of this film were way off, I'm loathe to admit. But I'm glad I forced myself to watch such a rewarding, honest film.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
The decade in films, part 1
I decided to make my Best Films of the Decade list at a standard 100 count, as opposed to the arbitrary numbers I've used for other lists. And I'll be giving my thoughts on each in the form of one or two sentences.
100. The Matador (Richard Shepard, 2005) - Pierce Brosnan was born to play this deliriously hilarious hitman with a midlife crisis in beautifully shot Mexico.
99. Up (Pete Docter and Bob Peterson, 2009) - This is Pixar's least tightly constructed plot so far, but it doesn't suffer for its rambling structure. Every beat is totally character driven. It's a beautiful film that brought me to tears more than once. The first time being during its first 10 minutes, some of the best 10 minutes of my life.
98. Half Nelson (Ryan Fleck, 2006) - Ryan Gosling's perfect, gut-wrenching performance is complimented by a wonderful soundtrack from Broken Social scene.
97. Priceless (Pierre Salvadori, 2008) - The closest thing you'll ever see to a Lubitsch comedy, plus a half naked Audrey Tatou.
96. Junebug (Phil Morrison, 2005) - Great dramedy about going back home with a perfect Amy Adams.
95. Wendy and Lucy (Kelly Reichardt, 2008) - A sad, minimalist tale of poverty and best friends with a heartbreaking performance from a dog.
94. Collateral (Michael Mann, 2004) - Another fantastic crime thriller from Michael Mann.
93. Sparrow (Johnnie To) - Still unreleased in the U.S., To's loveletter to French cinema is a wonderously enjoyable fairy tale love story.
92. Ratatouille (Brad Bird, 2007) - Pixar's best. A funny, heartfelt ode to great food. Anton Ego's face when he tries that ratatouille is priceless.
91. Twilight Samurai (Yoji Yamada, 2004) - A samurai epic in the vein of Kurosawa's films. A retired swordman is forced to fight again. Contemplative and mesmerizing.
90. 21 Grams (Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, 2003) - Fragmented chronicle of tragedy and revenge. Dirty and sad, but hits with a powerful force.
89. The Motorcycle Diaries (Walter Salles, 2004) - Gael Garcia Bernal is pre-revolutionary Che Guevara on a motorcycle roadtrip through South America.
88. Into the Wild (Sean Penn, 2007) - Penn's biography of adventurous but lost soul Chris McCandless champions a selfish asshole, but is full of great performances and is visually astounding.
87. Serenity (Joss Whedon, 2005) - Perfectly recaptures the spirit of its dearly departed source "Firefly".
86. Gangs of New York (Martin Scorcese, 2002) - Can we forget about the miscasting of Cameron Diaz for just a second. This is a masterpiece of epic proportions. Daniel Day-Lewis is one of the greatest villians of American cinema.
85. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Julian Schnabel, 2007) - Magically puts you inside the head of its crippled protagonist. Max Von Sydow's short scene is absolutely devastating.
84. George Washington (David Gordon Green, 2000) - Green's debut wonderfully captures the feel of adolescence.
83. Gosford Park (Robert Altman, 2002) - A great upstairs/downstairs murder mystery from one of cinema's great masters.
82. House of Flying Daggers (Zhang Yimou, 2005) - A moving painting full of romance and amazingly choreographed violence. The visuals are truly awe-inspiring.
81. Once (John Carney, 2007) - A beautiful love story told as an ultra-realistic musical.
80. Reprise (Joachim Trier, 2008) - A story of two author best friends that find varying degrees of success. It recalls French New Wave in its rapid-cutting style.
79. Ponyo (Hiyao Miyazaki, 2009) - Miyazaki's simple children's tale is full of heart and is a great return to completely hand-animated filmmaking.
78. Little Children (Todd Field, 2006) - Immaturity, temptation, and inadequacy. A great combination with Kate Winslet.
77. The Fall (Tarsem Singh, 2008) - A fantastical story with some of the most beautiful cinematography from locales around the world.
76. The Host (Bong Joon-Ho, 2007) - An especially powerful combination of horror, comedy, and family drama.
100. The Matador (Richard Shepard, 2005) - Pierce Brosnan was born to play this deliriously hilarious hitman with a midlife crisis in beautifully shot Mexico.
99. Up (Pete Docter and Bob Peterson, 2009) - This is Pixar's least tightly constructed plot so far, but it doesn't suffer for its rambling structure. Every beat is totally character driven. It's a beautiful film that brought me to tears more than once. The first time being during its first 10 minutes, some of the best 10 minutes of my life.
98. Half Nelson (Ryan Fleck, 2006) - Ryan Gosling's perfect, gut-wrenching performance is complimented by a wonderful soundtrack from Broken Social scene.
97. Priceless (Pierre Salvadori, 2008) - The closest thing you'll ever see to a Lubitsch comedy, plus a half naked Audrey Tatou.
96. Junebug (Phil Morrison, 2005) - Great dramedy about going back home with a perfect Amy Adams.
95. Wendy and Lucy (Kelly Reichardt, 2008) - A sad, minimalist tale of poverty and best friends with a heartbreaking performance from a dog.
94. Collateral (Michael Mann, 2004) - Another fantastic crime thriller from Michael Mann.
93. Sparrow (Johnnie To) - Still unreleased in the U.S., To's loveletter to French cinema is a wonderously enjoyable fairy tale love story.
92. Ratatouille (Brad Bird, 2007) - Pixar's best. A funny, heartfelt ode to great food. Anton Ego's face when he tries that ratatouille is priceless.
91. Twilight Samurai (Yoji Yamada, 2004) - A samurai epic in the vein of Kurosawa's films. A retired swordman is forced to fight again. Contemplative and mesmerizing.
90. 21 Grams (Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, 2003) - Fragmented chronicle of tragedy and revenge. Dirty and sad, but hits with a powerful force.
89. The Motorcycle Diaries (Walter Salles, 2004) - Gael Garcia Bernal is pre-revolutionary Che Guevara on a motorcycle roadtrip through South America.
88. Into the Wild (Sean Penn, 2007) - Penn's biography of adventurous but lost soul Chris McCandless champions a selfish asshole, but is full of great performances and is visually astounding.
87. Serenity (Joss Whedon, 2005) - Perfectly recaptures the spirit of its dearly departed source "Firefly".
86. Gangs of New York (Martin Scorcese, 2002) - Can we forget about the miscasting of Cameron Diaz for just a second. This is a masterpiece of epic proportions. Daniel Day-Lewis is one of the greatest villians of American cinema.
85. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Julian Schnabel, 2007) - Magically puts you inside the head of its crippled protagonist. Max Von Sydow's short scene is absolutely devastating.
84. George Washington (David Gordon Green, 2000) - Green's debut wonderfully captures the feel of adolescence.
83. Gosford Park (Robert Altman, 2002) - A great upstairs/downstairs murder mystery from one of cinema's great masters.
82. House of Flying Daggers (Zhang Yimou, 2005) - A moving painting full of romance and amazingly choreographed violence. The visuals are truly awe-inspiring.
81. Once (John Carney, 2007) - A beautiful love story told as an ultra-realistic musical.
80. Reprise (Joachim Trier, 2008) - A story of two author best friends that find varying degrees of success. It recalls French New Wave in its rapid-cutting style.
79. Ponyo (Hiyao Miyazaki, 2009) - Miyazaki's simple children's tale is full of heart and is a great return to completely hand-animated filmmaking.
78. Little Children (Todd Field, 2006) - Immaturity, temptation, and inadequacy. A great combination with Kate Winslet.
77. The Fall (Tarsem Singh, 2008) - A fantastical story with some of the most beautiful cinematography from locales around the world.
76. The Host (Bong Joon-Ho, 2007) - An especially powerful combination of horror, comedy, and family drama.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Thirst
Well, I'm less than enthusiastic to say that Park's Thirst was pretty good. It was great campy fun until right about the time that it hit the midpoint 90 minutes into its 133 minute runtime. From there it really lost its edge, and humor, and moved very quickly and uncomfortably towards its rather uninspired ending. Ending it at the 90 minute mark would have been just fine with me.
Just another less-than-great film from a great director to come out this year.
I haven't yet seen Fantastic Mr. Fox or Inglorious Basterds. Maybe I never should. But in all probability, I'll probably see them both tomorrow.
Then after that, It's midnight Avatar on Thursday. Master of all good opinions Glenn Kenny says it's fantastic, as do many other respected film critics. I remain skeptical, due to the months and months of really shitty marketing, I'd imagine. I'll go in open-minded and most likely emerge an even bigger Titanic hater.
Just another less-than-great film from a great director to come out this year.
I haven't yet seen Fantastic Mr. Fox or Inglorious Basterds. Maybe I never should. But in all probability, I'll probably see them both tomorrow.
Then after that, It's midnight Avatar on Thursday. Master of all good opinions Glenn Kenny says it's fantastic, as do many other respected film critics. I remain skeptical, due to the months and months of really shitty marketing, I'd imagine. I'll go in open-minded and most likely emerge an even bigger Titanic hater.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Disappointment
So these past few days have seen me watching two films I was greatly looking forward to, and coming out (or ejecting the dvd) of both in serious disappointment.
The first was John Hillcoat's post-apocalyptic The Road. I'll start off by mentioning that Cormac McCarthy's book of the same name is one of the greatest things I've read in several years, so I was excited that it was being adapted by the helmer of disgustingly beautiful The Proposition.
I tried to love this film, but, alas, it was not meant to be.
Like the book, Hillcoat's version follows an unnamed Man, played by Viggo Mortensen, and his Son, Kodi Smit-McPhee as they try to move South through a wasteland riddled with armed cannibal gangs, earthquakes, and general hoplessness.
I wouldn't call The Road a bad film. On a technical level, I'd say it was more than good. The atmosphere is consistently dour, and it looks like a film shot by someone with masterful skill with a camera. But fails to satisfy on its narrative level. Joe Penhall's script throws the duo into conflict after conflict, but there isn't much of a build. By the end, things have happened, but no arc has really completed. I love me a good non-traditionally structured story, but this one never pulled me in.
The second problem was Kodi-Smit McPhee. I just wasn't buying it. He was annoying in a way that transcended his character.
Another aspect I didn't like is much more of a book/film comparison. The book has a single, destructively powerful scene involving the Man's wife. In the film, the wife's part is greatly elaborated on with Charlize Theron coldly portraying her, but it doesn't amount to much. We see the Man sitting and thinking, obviously longing for the past, and then we see he and the wife together. The scenes add to a bare bones story, but Viggo's pain is already all over his face. The flashbacks become a simple way to tell the audience info that isn't really important.
But whatever. Viggo's amazing. The Road wasn't a waste of time or anything.
The same cannot be said for Jim Jarmusch's latest film, The Limits of Control.
I love every Jarmusch film I've seen, which is almost all of them, the one exception being Coffee and Cigarettes, which does have a few worthwhile segments.
The Limits of Control doesn't work. Isaach de Bankhole is a mostly silent, mysterious hitman on his way to completing a job the audience knows nothing about. He travels from one location to another rendezvousing with people apparently giving him information to complete the job. All of these other people are nameless, and given to talking. A lot. They each have a one-way conversation with the hitman before giving him a box of matches. It doesn't ever break this cycle until he gets to his assignment, which is meant to be an enlightening experience for both the hitman and viewer. It gives one a better idea of whom all those people were, or what kind of people they were. But it doesn't carry any weight. And all those conversations are quite a few levels below profound, or even though-provoking. And I didn't care for the stunt-casting of a climax.
I tried to get down with what Jarmusch was throwing at me here, but I found that rather impossible to do. There are some beautifully shot locations, though.
Later tonight, I'm watching Chan-wook Park's vampire flick, Thirst. I've heard an incredible batch of mixed reactions for it, but I'm currently hoping for the best.
Friday, December 11, 2009
The decade in albums, part 9
This is the end.
Of this list.
A new one is about to start.
15. City of Caterpillar, City of Caterpillar (2002)
Another band created from collective Pageninetynine, City of Caterpillar made music less chaotic and heavy, in favor of huge, sprawling, meditative screamo songs more in the vein of post-rock. The song titles alone are worth the listen. "And You were Wondering How a Top Floor Could Replace Heaven".
14. At the Drive-In, Relationship of Command (2000)
This legendary post-hardcore group released one of the most important albums of the decade before breaking up, and some members going on to form the progressive The Mars Volta (whose Deloused has been criminally excluded from this list). That band has nothing on Relationship, a hardcore game-changer. They managed to turn this into a critical and mainstream success, but it isn't like anything made before it. Each song is constructed quite differently than the next. From the non-stop ferocity of "Cosmonaut" to the contemplative vengeful malice of "Invalid Litter Dept", to the hit single "One-Armed Scissor", which reveals a poppy side of the band, this album is as close to perfection as this kind of music could get.
13. Bear Vs. Shark, Right Now, You're in the Best of Hands. And if Something isn't Quite Right, Your Doctor will Know in a Hurry (2003)
I couldn't tell you what this is. It's part danceable indie, part pop/punk, tiny part hardcore. The vocalist doesn't really scream, but his voice is very strange, and when he yells it sounds pretty close. These songs are loud, upbeat and fun, but always with a nice emotional punch, and enigmatic lyrics. When "Ma Jolie" slows down at the end, it becomes absolutely beautiful. "Kylie" is a longing, angry masterpiece. "MPS" is the most enigmatic of all, but slowly reveals itself to be a beautiful balad to the disease of the same name.
12. Circle Takes the Square, As the Roots Undo (2004)
With lots of weed comes great music. So proves Circle takes the square, a young band from Georgia who obviously smoked their brains out. Technically, this music is a bit unbelievable, it's so chaotic at first, but reveals itself to be some of the most calculated and precise musicianship I've ever heard. The vocals are harsh and raspy, and the lyrics nonsensical in their poetry. Each song tells a different, drugged out style story, all sounding very different, yet tied together as a whole. It's hard to listen to these songs by themselves. The climax of the album is in track 7, "Kill the Switch", a 10 minute magnum opus.
11. Murder By Death, Who will Survive, and What will be Left? (2003)
A lone shooter drunkenly fires on the devil in a saloon in Mexico. He flees as the devil starts to take revenge on the town. The gunman fights with his conscience until he comes back to set what he did right. But is it too late? The children have already been turned into zombie henchmen for the devil. People are hanging themselves. The devil has literally set the fields ablaze. But with few survivors, he'll make a desperate last stand, praying to God, "I'll be waiting for him, let the devil come".
The cello player is also really attractive.
10. cLOUDDEAD, Ten (2004)
We all knew the end was coming, each tiny cLOUDDEAD release was numbered 1 through 9. Then came their only proper full length, a pop/hip-hop masterpiece with vocals from Doseone and Why? and production from Odd Nosdam. It's the best Anticon effort to date, and Why? and Doseone are absurdly entertaining together. The lyrics are surreal, and the music dream like, as in "Dead Dogs Two", which plays like a summer mirage. They even add some Marry Poppins homage into a couple of tracks.
9. The Mountain Goats, All Hail West Texas (2002)
Darnielle's last self-tape-recorded album is his career masterpiece. Each little story, set in Western Texas, is told lovingly and emotionall by John and his guitar. "The Best Ever Death Metal Band out of Denton" is one of his greatest songs, and an anthem to rebellious youth and the power of dreams. These songs are funny, sardonic, sometimes cheesy, and always from the heart.
8. The Weakerthans, Left and Leaving (2000)
Before they evolved into their country tinged rock, The Weakerthans were busy leaving their punk rock past behind. This is their first album away from said past. It's a terribly sad and thoughtful album, reminiscing on good times gone, and loves that past him right by. The opener is ballsy in its refusal to build to anything more than the quiet reflection of the things he's lost that it is. "Watermark" might be the only uplifting moment, but it doesn't last, and it also reveals a longing for a time that got away. The title track is the one that gets my vote for best Weakerthans track, with its beautiful guitar and meditation on the geography of a changing city and how it affects a man.
7. Fugazi, The Argument (2001)
Fugazi is one of the greatest bands of all time for a reason. They shaped emo, made punk evolve, and write some of the most deceptively complex songs to grace either genre. Their (most likely) final album is a wonderful swan song, showing the ever changing sound of the band at a great balance between heavy ("Epic Problem") and quieter, more meditative ("Argument"). It's still as socially conscious and angry as ever, just more mature than it used to be. "Cashout" is a stand out among many masterpieces with its infectious "rock out" guitar riffs.
6. Daft Punk, Discovery (2001)
Need I say anything else, other than:
ONE MORE TIME!!!
5. Envy, A Dead Sinking Story (2003)
No screamo band is more epic, more emotional than Japanese group Envy. This is their greatest work. 9 impossibly huge and heart-wrenching tracks built to make you cry. Seriously. Cry. They became a post-rock band after this, confirming my suspicions that they drew a lot from that genre. If there was ever one screamo/hardcore record to listen to in your life, I'd say this is the one. It's undeniably beautiful, and the vocal screams are so clean and crisp as opposed to the usually ugly style.
4. Death Cab for Cutie, Transatlanticism (2003)
Death Cab's gretest is an emotional event. Ben Gibbard knows how to make you sad, and exploits that to great rewards in this album. "Tiny Vessels" is a cold rock song, about loveless sex. "Expo 86" is folk like in its despair of a relationship that will always fail. "Passenger Seat" is a beautiful piano ballad about long nights with best friends. But the greatest acheivement is the 8 minute title track about love and distance. Ben Gibbard puts his sould into every word, and it's heartbreaking.
3. Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Lift Yr. Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven! (2000)
4 tracks. 80 minutes. Building crescendos, haunting feild recordings, crushing guitars, penetrating strings. powerful percussion. This album is a miracle. There will never be anything like it again.
2. Against Me!, Reinventing Axl Rose (2002)/Acoustic EP (2001)/Crime as Forgiven by... (2001)
Against Me! have changed so many times it's ridiculous. Every album has a fan base ready to cry "SELL OUT" for each new album. These two EPs were acoustic offerings that led to the electric album in 2002, featuring most of the EPs' songs, plus some new ones. Each sound is different, but all equally as powerful. Against Me! play punk rock in a very expressive way, and Tom Gabel's voice is a force of nature. "Those Anarcho Punx are Mysterious" is one of the most emotional songs ever crafted, and it's a satire on the punk lifestyle these guys live, how knowingly absurd it can all get.
1. Cursive, Domestica (2000)
Tim Kasher's rendition of his own divorce in concept album form is as ugly and beautiful as relationships can be. With its repeating imagery, and musical motifs, it's one of the most well written albums ever made, and features some of the most complex emotional material I've ever heard in song. It's all very drunken, and Kasher's out of tune guitar is perfectly suited to the sometimes puposefully ugly material. Seeing this band twice in the past 2 weeks has only reconfirmed what I've always thought of them. They are the greatet artists of conveyed emotion in every facet of their music; lyrics, vocals, music. It's my perfect album. And I love how Kasher considers this the fantasy ending of his own relationship. The album couple doesn't break up. They stay together in what has to be the worst happy ending ever. In a monster confrontation in the final track. The man breks down, and screams "I LOST THE WILL TO FIGHT". Good reason to stay together.
So with the list being done, there is one more musical release I must mention that isn't actually an album.
Against Me!, Disco Before the Breakdown EP (2002)
Against Me!'s finest EP came after Reinventing Axl Rose, and featured 3 new brilliant tracks. It's their best all around release. Each song being something of a masterwork. The title track is a horned out punk anthem to homosexual love and secrecy. It's easily one of their most emotional songs. "Tonight We're Gonna Give it 35%" is a '70s style rock songs about life and faith. "Beginning in an Ending" is a return to folk style music. It's a lo-fi acoutic song that is probably actually a verbal abandon of om's anarchist ideals, but is also a beautiful meditation on what is actually important. It's also a beautiful end of an Against Me! era, as their music would never be as raw or powerful again. Goodbye No Idea, DIY, folk punk forever.
Wow. It's actually over. Next is films of the decade. Then the year's best albums and films.
I'm a list man!
Of this list.
A new one is about to start.
15. City of Caterpillar, City of Caterpillar (2002)Another band created from collective Pageninetynine, City of Caterpillar made music less chaotic and heavy, in favor of huge, sprawling, meditative screamo songs more in the vein of post-rock. The song titles alone are worth the listen. "And You were Wondering How a Top Floor Could Replace Heaven".
14. At the Drive-In, Relationship of Command (2000)This legendary post-hardcore group released one of the most important albums of the decade before breaking up, and some members going on to form the progressive The Mars Volta (whose Deloused has been criminally excluded from this list). That band has nothing on Relationship, a hardcore game-changer. They managed to turn this into a critical and mainstream success, but it isn't like anything made before it. Each song is constructed quite differently than the next. From the non-stop ferocity of "Cosmonaut" to the contemplative vengeful malice of "Invalid Litter Dept", to the hit single "One-Armed Scissor", which reveals a poppy side of the band, this album is as close to perfection as this kind of music could get.
13. Bear Vs. Shark, Right Now, You're in the Best of Hands. And if Something isn't Quite Right, Your Doctor will Know in a Hurry (2003)I couldn't tell you what this is. It's part danceable indie, part pop/punk, tiny part hardcore. The vocalist doesn't really scream, but his voice is very strange, and when he yells it sounds pretty close. These songs are loud, upbeat and fun, but always with a nice emotional punch, and enigmatic lyrics. When "Ma Jolie" slows down at the end, it becomes absolutely beautiful. "Kylie" is a longing, angry masterpiece. "MPS" is the most enigmatic of all, but slowly reveals itself to be a beautiful balad to the disease of the same name.
12. Circle Takes the Square, As the Roots Undo (2004)With lots of weed comes great music. So proves Circle takes the square, a young band from Georgia who obviously smoked their brains out. Technically, this music is a bit unbelievable, it's so chaotic at first, but reveals itself to be some of the most calculated and precise musicianship I've ever heard. The vocals are harsh and raspy, and the lyrics nonsensical in their poetry. Each song tells a different, drugged out style story, all sounding very different, yet tied together as a whole. It's hard to listen to these songs by themselves. The climax of the album is in track 7, "Kill the Switch", a 10 minute magnum opus.
11. Murder By Death, Who will Survive, and What will be Left? (2003)A lone shooter drunkenly fires on the devil in a saloon in Mexico. He flees as the devil starts to take revenge on the town. The gunman fights with his conscience until he comes back to set what he did right. But is it too late? The children have already been turned into zombie henchmen for the devil. People are hanging themselves. The devil has literally set the fields ablaze. But with few survivors, he'll make a desperate last stand, praying to God, "I'll be waiting for him, let the devil come".
The cello player is also really attractive.
10. cLOUDDEAD, Ten (2004)We all knew the end was coming, each tiny cLOUDDEAD release was numbered 1 through 9. Then came their only proper full length, a pop/hip-hop masterpiece with vocals from Doseone and Why? and production from Odd Nosdam. It's the best Anticon effort to date, and Why? and Doseone are absurdly entertaining together. The lyrics are surreal, and the music dream like, as in "Dead Dogs Two", which plays like a summer mirage. They even add some Marry Poppins homage into a couple of tracks.
9. The Mountain Goats, All Hail West Texas (2002)Darnielle's last self-tape-recorded album is his career masterpiece. Each little story, set in Western Texas, is told lovingly and emotionall by John and his guitar. "The Best Ever Death Metal Band out of Denton" is one of his greatest songs, and an anthem to rebellious youth and the power of dreams. These songs are funny, sardonic, sometimes cheesy, and always from the heart.
8. The Weakerthans, Left and Leaving (2000)Before they evolved into their country tinged rock, The Weakerthans were busy leaving their punk rock past behind. This is their first album away from said past. It's a terribly sad and thoughtful album, reminiscing on good times gone, and loves that past him right by. The opener is ballsy in its refusal to build to anything more than the quiet reflection of the things he's lost that it is. "Watermark" might be the only uplifting moment, but it doesn't last, and it also reveals a longing for a time that got away. The title track is the one that gets my vote for best Weakerthans track, with its beautiful guitar and meditation on the geography of a changing city and how it affects a man.
7. Fugazi, The Argument (2001)Fugazi is one of the greatest bands of all time for a reason. They shaped emo, made punk evolve, and write some of the most deceptively complex songs to grace either genre. Their (most likely) final album is a wonderful swan song, showing the ever changing sound of the band at a great balance between heavy ("Epic Problem") and quieter, more meditative ("Argument"). It's still as socially conscious and angry as ever, just more mature than it used to be. "Cashout" is a stand out among many masterpieces with its infectious "rock out" guitar riffs.
6. Daft Punk, Discovery (2001)Need I say anything else, other than:
ONE MORE TIME!!!
5. Envy, A Dead Sinking Story (2003)No screamo band is more epic, more emotional than Japanese group Envy. This is their greatest work. 9 impossibly huge and heart-wrenching tracks built to make you cry. Seriously. Cry. They became a post-rock band after this, confirming my suspicions that they drew a lot from that genre. If there was ever one screamo/hardcore record to listen to in your life, I'd say this is the one. It's undeniably beautiful, and the vocal screams are so clean and crisp as opposed to the usually ugly style.
4. Death Cab for Cutie, Transatlanticism (2003)Death Cab's gretest is an emotional event. Ben Gibbard knows how to make you sad, and exploits that to great rewards in this album. "Tiny Vessels" is a cold rock song, about loveless sex. "Expo 86" is folk like in its despair of a relationship that will always fail. "Passenger Seat" is a beautiful piano ballad about long nights with best friends. But the greatest acheivement is the 8 minute title track about love and distance. Ben Gibbard puts his sould into every word, and it's heartbreaking.
3. Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Lift Yr. Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven! (2000)4 tracks. 80 minutes. Building crescendos, haunting feild recordings, crushing guitars, penetrating strings. powerful percussion. This album is a miracle. There will never be anything like it again.
2. Against Me!, Reinventing Axl Rose (2002)/Acoustic EP (2001)/Crime as Forgiven by... (2001)Against Me! have changed so many times it's ridiculous. Every album has a fan base ready to cry "SELL OUT" for each new album. These two EPs were acoustic offerings that led to the electric album in 2002, featuring most of the EPs' songs, plus some new ones. Each sound is different, but all equally as powerful. Against Me! play punk rock in a very expressive way, and Tom Gabel's voice is a force of nature. "Those Anarcho Punx are Mysterious" is one of the most emotional songs ever crafted, and it's a satire on the punk lifestyle these guys live, how knowingly absurd it can all get.
1. Cursive, Domestica (2000)Tim Kasher's rendition of his own divorce in concept album form is as ugly and beautiful as relationships can be. With its repeating imagery, and musical motifs, it's one of the most well written albums ever made, and features some of the most complex emotional material I've ever heard in song. It's all very drunken, and Kasher's out of tune guitar is perfectly suited to the sometimes puposefully ugly material. Seeing this band twice in the past 2 weeks has only reconfirmed what I've always thought of them. They are the greatet artists of conveyed emotion in every facet of their music; lyrics, vocals, music. It's my perfect album. And I love how Kasher considers this the fantasy ending of his own relationship. The album couple doesn't break up. They stay together in what has to be the worst happy ending ever. In a monster confrontation in the final track. The man breks down, and screams "I LOST THE WILL TO FIGHT". Good reason to stay together.
So with the list being done, there is one more musical release I must mention that isn't actually an album.
Against Me!, Disco Before the Breakdown EP (2002)Against Me!'s finest EP came after Reinventing Axl Rose, and featured 3 new brilliant tracks. It's their best all around release. Each song being something of a masterwork. The title track is a horned out punk anthem to homosexual love and secrecy. It's easily one of their most emotional songs. "Tonight We're Gonna Give it 35%" is a '70s style rock songs about life and faith. "Beginning in an Ending" is a return to folk style music. It's a lo-fi acoutic song that is probably actually a verbal abandon of om's anarchist ideals, but is also a beautiful meditation on what is actually important. It's also a beautiful end of an Against Me! era, as their music would never be as raw or powerful again. Goodbye No Idea, DIY, folk punk forever.
Wow. It's actually over. Next is films of the decade. Then the year's best albums and films.
I'm a list man!
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
The decade in albums, part 8
30. Against Me!, ...As the Eternal Cowboy (2003)
Against Me! have changed their formula up several times. For their Fat Wrechords debut, they dropped a lot of the folk roots and screamy vocals, and used a lot of clean guitars to make a great rock album. The songs are short, blistering, and clever. "T.S.R." is a short mission statement opener, and "You Look Like I Need a Drink" is a sad look into sexual politics, with a catchy, great chorus.
29. Blood Brothers, Burn, Piano Island, Burn (2003)
Chaotic, sassy, and smart. These guys tried very hard to make a hardcore album that no one had ever heard before, and they succeeded. Too bad they couldn't play it live and they went back to making boring music, but this album is something special. It's loud, fast, and ugly. It's perfectly summed up in the track "Cecilia and the Silhouette Saloon", a rollercoaster of sounds and dissonance with two very manic vocalists spewing bile all over it.
28. Kodan Armada, Collections (2004)
This screamo/punk band wrote mostly about friendships that could never be broken, and then they broke up. Collections collected all of their 7''s, plus lots of random show banter into one powerful release. These guys have almost no talent, but they exude emotion with every syllable and guitar stroke.
27. Pageninetynine, Document #8 (2001)
One of the most influential punk bands of this decade, Pageninetynine splintered into many other great bands soon after this release. This is their crowning acheivement. Brutal, crushing punk with about nine dudes playing and singing their heads off. Intensity ensues.
26. Trophy Scars, Alphabets. Alphabets. (2006)Trophy Scar's first album defies any sort of genre tag. It's rooted in hardcore but has so many influences, ranging from jazz to hip-hop, I can never pin a single name down on it. Not all these songs are great, they were obviously experimenting with a lot of different sounds, but the good songs are absolutely flooring.
25. Broken Social Scene, You Forgot it in People (2002)
I wasn't for this band when I first heard them. The Canadian collective knocked me over the first time I heard "Anthem for a Seventeen Year-Old Girl". I cried when they played it live. I think it's one of the greatest songs I've ever heard. And, oh yeah, the rest of the album is amazing also. The textured walls of sound they build are breathtaking.
24. Minus the Bear, Highly Refined Pirates (2002)/They Make Beer Commercials Like This (2004)
Minus the Bear have made a career out of highly technical dance indie pop rock, but this album and subsequent ep are something special. Almost all these songs are about getting drunk and swimming in a lake. It's probably the greatest subject matter ever. I can't help but dance everytime I listen, which has been a lot of fucking times.
23. Brand New, Deja Entendu (2003)Brand New all about their pop/punk status when they released an album with a title meaning "heard again", but it turns out no one had heard this before. In a ridiculous about face from their debut album, Brand New crafted an 11 songs of sad, longing genius. From taking advantage of drunk girls to Jesse's dying grandfather, to hating your fans and being on tour. It's one of the most open and honest albums of the decade from a band that was just another New Found Glory rip off only two years before.
22. Pretty Girls Make Graves, Good Health (2001)
This girl led indie punk band were one of the best live acts I've ever seen. Their debut album was a real force to be reckoned with. It had all the youthful energy and emotion needed to make a great punk record, but with an added sense of pop awareness and danceable guitar riffs and dueling solos. These guys wrote powerful music. Just hear opener "Speakers Push Air" when all the members sing in the chorus "Do you remember what the music meant?". It's just too good. It's uplifting and inspiring, even.
21. A Silver Mt. Zion, Born Into Troubles as the Sparks Fly Upward (2001)
This post-rock band, featuring Godspeed members, has never tried to outshine their former band, but they were fully capable of writing memorable and moving music, as this album proves. They build with strings, and explode with powerful guitars. There's even some strange vocal work here that really adds to the mix.
20. Cursive, The Ugly Organ (2003)Cursive's only album with a cello is an ugly concept album about the Ugly Organist as he suffers, love, murder, sex, and many other ugly things before hopelessly praying "the worst is over" at the end. Every song is moving and imbued with Tim Kasher's longing vocal chords and permenantly out of tune guitar. "Sierra" is, no question, Tim's greatest acheivement.
19. Cannibal Ox, The Cold Vein (2001)
My favorite hip-hop album ever. These guys write cold, calculated beats with cosmic production. I love every song so much. Two guys with very distinct voices and styles rapping about social unrest, Asgard, friendship, bitches, with an obvious affection for math and chemistry. It's all so good.
18. The White Octave, Style no. 6321 (2000)
The masterpiece from former Cursive guitarist is unabashedly emo, and you can suck it. He'll cut his wrists for some girl, and it might be cheesy, but not before he cranks out 13 tracks of indescribably emotional rock songs. Bookended by its two most powerful songs, this might be as great as cheesy emo gets.
17. The Mountain Goats, The Sunset Tree (2005)
The obvious high point of John Darnielle's studio albums, Tree is his first autobiographical work. Filled with love, nostalgia, and bitter hate for his past, the album also features some of his most catchy songs. "This Year" is an obvious example of one. But it's the quiet songs like "Love, Love, Love" and "Pale Green Things" that really make this release special.
16. Frightened Rabbit, The Midnight Organ Fight (2008)This Scottish emo/rock band came out of nowhere for me. They play some of the most emotional music I've ever heard. The singer's voice is so effortlessly sad, while the drums are powerful in an almost tribal, chaotic way. "Modern Leper" is something of a masterpiece, but it's really hard to pick a favorite here. Every song is so different, and each showing a man on the brink of breaking apart, while maintaining a wry sense of humor about it all.
Monday, December 7, 2009
The decade in albums, part 7
45. Thursday, War All the Time (2003)I was never a fan of Thursday's hit album Full Collapse, but this with this album, they toned down the melodramatic back up screaming, improved their musicianship, and hit me full force with an incredibly emotionally potent album. The title track is a certainly something to behold.
44. The White Octave, Menergy (2001)
The White Octave's sophomore effort is a toned down emo sound, with more rocking out and catchy hooks. The change of pace is great, and shows a great band that could have been. They of course broke up immediately after the release of Menergy.
43. Tom Waits, Alice (2002)
Tom Waits is perfect. He'll never release anything less than great. But Alice is something of a standout in his career, maybe his most emotional effort. The title track is one of the most heartbreakingly beautiful songs I've ever heard.
42. The Mountain Goats, Tallahassee (2002)The first Mountain goats album recorded in an actual studio was something of an abrupt change at first. Repeated listens revealed it to be a concept album of great depth, showing songwriter John Darnielle as a very versatile artist for the first time.
41. The Lawrence Arms, Apathy and Exhaustion (2002)
The best from these drunken depressives from Chicago is what you might expect-- drunken, dark, witty, and catchy as fuck. Their simple riffs are infectious, and the sing a long choruses feel darn right wrong to be singing, as most have something to do with pissing yourself drunk, or killing yourself, or some such depressing nonsense,
40. The Lord Weird Slough Feg, Traveller (2003)Slough Feg play an indescribable style of metal. Heavy, yet folky, but mostly just fucking ridiculous. The solos are great, riffs catchy, and the clean vocals fucking legendary. This is a space opera about a half dog/half man creature. These guys are insane. And it sounds awesome.
39. Aesop Rock, Labor Days (2001)
Aesop being Aesop. The most preachy and wonderful of all his albums. This album features his greatest acheivement in the form of "Daylight". This is a wonder. Not just a hip-hop masterpiece. You must listen.
38. Mihai Edrisch, Un sans l'autre (2004)
The king of all short, fast, and powerful screamo albums. They employ a sly dissonance to their songs that somehow makes the beautiful parts even better. You don't like screamo, fine. But this shit is just fantastic.
37. Streetlight Manifesto, Everything Goes Numb (2003)
Thomas Kalnoky found fame in the late '90s with his Catch-22 ska band before promptly being kicked out. He came back 5 years later with a ska/reggae masterpiece that doubles as a "fuck you" to his former bandmates, as he reuses many lyrical themes and phrases. And it's also so much better. This is a truly mature ska record. Something that is hard to come by.
36. A Day in Black and White, My Heroes Have Always Killed Cowboys (2004)
A post-rock band in spirit and musicianship, but with a great, mostly clean vocalist, A Day in Black and White are often content to rock the fuck out with their sprawling rock tracks. These five tracks are truly something else, building to insane heights, then punching you in the face.
35. Black Eyes, Black Eyes (2003)A D.C. band on Dischord, whoopdidoo. But, oh wait, this band mixes a punk spirit with jazzy breakdowns and spastic dual vocals. I don't know exactly what this album is, but I do know there is nothing else like it. And "Deformative" is something of a truly special jazz/vocal masterpiece. It's chilling.
34. Sunset Rubdown, Dragonslayer (2009)
I just can't stop listening to this record. Spencer Krug's vocals are mesmerizing. Each songs ends up so far away from where it started. It's impossible to hear everything going on in just one listen. The epic, 10 minute closer "Dragon's Lair" caps off the album beautifullybegging "Anyway it's time...for a bigger kind of kill!" It's just so majestic.
33. Why?, Alopecia (2008)
Why? is something of an indie/hip-hop legend, but with this album he proved he could successfully navigate the waters of many genres. This album is full of his trademark wit and cynicism, combined with masterfully crafted pop tunes. "The Vowels, Pt. 2" and "The Hallows" show Why? at his hi-hop masterful best, while "These Few Presidents" and "Fatalist Palmistry" reveal his understanding of great pop writing.
32. Death Cab for Cutie, The Photo Album (2001)Death Cab's 2001 album is an emotional rollercoaster, focusing on old friendships, technology, the past, and the future. Ben Gibbard's writing is in full form here as he reminisces with a lost flame in quiet, heartbreaking opener "Steadier Footing", and he cuts down the town he hates in the explosive "Why you'd Want to Live Here". But the real beauty and pain comes in the autobiographical "Stryofoam Plates", a heartwrenching epitaph to his asshole father.
31. Rapider than Horsepower. Stage Fright, Stage Fright/This is My Big Night (2004)
The vocalist of hardcore band Racebannon branched out and formed a quirky indie dance band. He quit screaming, but his voice is still crazy, singing about ice cream cones, caterpillars, and cowboys. It's all so surreal, and whacky.
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