I Bleed Black
Well-Known Member
Do we have one of these threads yet? I haven't finalised my list yet but here's the one from the irish times which I'm not too sure about although I've not seen them all
1 There Will Be Blood (2007) A discordant, monumentally sombre tone poem from Paul Thomas Anderson that may have sobering things to say about money and religion, but is mostly about the blackness of oil, the oddness of noise and the unique ability of Daniel Day-Lewis to be huge without being hammy.
2 Hidden/Caché (2005) Michael Haneke, at 67, one of the directors of the decade, asks questions about everyday deceit, French post-colonialism and the limits of perception. He offers no answers, of course.
3 Spirited Away/Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi (2001) Hayao Miyazaki, Japanese master of animation, nods towards Lewis Carroll with his spooky, funny coming-of-age fantasy. Already established as a classic in its genre.
4 Mulholland Dr (2001) What does David Lynch’s lush, surreal tale of doppelgangers and decadence in Hollywood really mean? Is it about godlessness? Is it about a hatstand?
5 Let the Right One In/Låt Den Rätte Komma In (2009) A jobbing director, Tomas Alfredson, takes a best-selling Swedish novel and turns it into one of the most singular vampire films ever. Despite its fantastic elements, the picture stands as a sober essay on the wretchedness of childhood.
6 In the Mood for Love/Fa Yeung Nin Wa (2000) One of the key directors of the 1990s, Wong Kar Wai began the new decade with this elegant, poignant romance – a kind of Hong Kong Brief Encounter – and then lost his way somewhat.
7 Far from Heaven (2002) This autumnal melodrama – in which Julianne Moore copes with a gay husband in 1950s America – manages to pay homage to Douglas Sirk while still retaining its own unique power. Perhaps only Todd Haynes could have pulled it off.
8 Hunger (2008) If it were possible to excise all the political insinuations from Steve McQueen’s study of Bobby Sands’s last days – and, of course, it isn’t – then the film would still have worth as a deeply unsettling exercise in pure cinema.
9 Pan’s Labyrinth/El Laberinto del Fauno (2006) Guillermo del Toro proves that fantasy movies can accommodate psychological depth in his Spanish civil war parable.
10 Brokeback Mountain (2005) Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal play two robust cowboys in love. Ang Lee’s picture is so raw and affecting you hardly notice it breaking fresh ground in the American mainstream.
11 Lost in Translation (2003) Sofia Coppola takes Bill Murray to Tokyo, where he encounters beautiful numbness and Scarlett Johansson.
12 The White Ribbon/Das Weiße Band (2009) Sombre, monochrome study of moral corruption in early 20th-century Germany from Michael Haneke.
13 Wall-E (2008) This transcendentally brilliant animation confirmed Pixar as the studio of the decade.
14 Oldboy/Hangui (2003) Savage revenge drama from a director at the vanguard of the Korean new wave. Features footage of an octopus being eaten alive. Nice.
15 I’m Not There (2007) A film about Bob Dylan that proves as allusive and amusing as the most fecund of his songs. Perhaps only Todd Haynes could have pulled it off.
16 This Is England (2006) Shane Meadows, Britain’s best young director, tackles skinhead culture in the 1980s.
17 A Serious Man (2009) Better than No Country for Old Men ? Yes. The Coen brothers’ Jewish comedy (above) shows both their comic and philosophical tendencies to stunning effect.
18 Team America: World Police (2004) So ronery! It was a flop on release, but the South Park team’s Hollywood satire gained traction as the decade progressed.
19 A History of Violence (2005) Vague and hard to classify, David Cronenberg’s thriller now looks like the buttoned-up Shane of its era.
20 Primer (2004) Astonishingly knotty time-travel drama made for next to nothing. Director Shane Carruth has yet to reappear.
1 There Will Be Blood (2007) A discordant, monumentally sombre tone poem from Paul Thomas Anderson that may have sobering things to say about money and religion, but is mostly about the blackness of oil, the oddness of noise and the unique ability of Daniel Day-Lewis to be huge without being hammy.
2 Hidden/Caché (2005) Michael Haneke, at 67, one of the directors of the decade, asks questions about everyday deceit, French post-colonialism and the limits of perception. He offers no answers, of course.
3 Spirited Away/Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi (2001) Hayao Miyazaki, Japanese master of animation, nods towards Lewis Carroll with his spooky, funny coming-of-age fantasy. Already established as a classic in its genre.
4 Mulholland Dr (2001) What does David Lynch’s lush, surreal tale of doppelgangers and decadence in Hollywood really mean? Is it about godlessness? Is it about a hatstand?
5 Let the Right One In/Låt Den Rätte Komma In (2009) A jobbing director, Tomas Alfredson, takes a best-selling Swedish novel and turns it into one of the most singular vampire films ever. Despite its fantastic elements, the picture stands as a sober essay on the wretchedness of childhood.
6 In the Mood for Love/Fa Yeung Nin Wa (2000) One of the key directors of the 1990s, Wong Kar Wai began the new decade with this elegant, poignant romance – a kind of Hong Kong Brief Encounter – and then lost his way somewhat.
7 Far from Heaven (2002) This autumnal melodrama – in which Julianne Moore copes with a gay husband in 1950s America – manages to pay homage to Douglas Sirk while still retaining its own unique power. Perhaps only Todd Haynes could have pulled it off.
8 Hunger (2008) If it were possible to excise all the political insinuations from Steve McQueen’s study of Bobby Sands’s last days – and, of course, it isn’t – then the film would still have worth as a deeply unsettling exercise in pure cinema.
9 Pan’s Labyrinth/El Laberinto del Fauno (2006) Guillermo del Toro proves that fantasy movies can accommodate psychological depth in his Spanish civil war parable.
10 Brokeback Mountain (2005) Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal play two robust cowboys in love. Ang Lee’s picture is so raw and affecting you hardly notice it breaking fresh ground in the American mainstream.
11 Lost in Translation (2003) Sofia Coppola takes Bill Murray to Tokyo, where he encounters beautiful numbness and Scarlett Johansson.
12 The White Ribbon/Das Weiße Band (2009) Sombre, monochrome study of moral corruption in early 20th-century Germany from Michael Haneke.
13 Wall-E (2008) This transcendentally brilliant animation confirmed Pixar as the studio of the decade.
14 Oldboy/Hangui (2003) Savage revenge drama from a director at the vanguard of the Korean new wave. Features footage of an octopus being eaten alive. Nice.
15 I’m Not There (2007) A film about Bob Dylan that proves as allusive and amusing as the most fecund of his songs. Perhaps only Todd Haynes could have pulled it off.
16 This Is England (2006) Shane Meadows, Britain’s best young director, tackles skinhead culture in the 1980s.
17 A Serious Man (2009) Better than No Country for Old Men ? Yes. The Coen brothers’ Jewish comedy (above) shows both their comic and philosophical tendencies to stunning effect.
18 Team America: World Police (2004) So ronery! It was a flop on release, but the South Park team’s Hollywood satire gained traction as the decade progressed.
19 A History of Violence (2005) Vague and hard to classify, David Cronenberg’s thriller now looks like the buttoned-up Shane of its era.
20 Primer (2004) Astonishingly knotty time-travel drama made for next to nothing. Director Shane Carruth has yet to reappear.
