OPINION: Top 15 Films of The Decade...My List...

Yeah, this may be the most pretentious post ever placed on this site. However, with the year coming to an end, I feel as though it is time for me to chime in with my list of my 15 favorite films of the past decade. This list could be changed on a daily basis, so really, I have no right in doing this, but I'm pretty set on 15 films that I could put in here, so this list is about as close to my top 15 as I will get. That said, it's a good conversation starter. Let the firestorm begin...

15. In The Bedroom
14. Tripletts of Belleville
13. Children of Men
12. Mulholland Drive
11. Shortbus
10. Brick
9. Brokeback Mountain
8. Kill Bill Vol. 2
7. Requiem for a Dream
6. Amores Perros
5. Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind
4. City of God
3. In The Mood For Love
2. Oldboy
1. There Will Be Blood

Go see something good!

FORUM/DISCUSSION/TOP 10: Favorite Horror Films...

So we are under two weeks away from Halloween. That means, among other things, it's time for each of us to pull out our most cherished horror films, to once again scare the hell out of us. However, what happens when the films you early bust out have become a tad bit stale? Well, that is what I'm here for.

I have come to find the horror genre to be one of my favorite, and one of the more interesting ones in the world of cinema. With a yearly turnout of handfulls of pure drek the likes of Last House on The Left and Dead Clowns (not this year, but yeah, shit), it takes not only a lot of skill, but a keen eye for the genre to wittle out the crap from the gold. That said, below you will find not only a link to my list of the 10 best horror films, ever made, but also a list of 10 horror films, that you haven't heard of, but really should have, and should watch come Halloween.

10. Wolf Creek
9. Play Misty For Me
8. Suspiria
7. The Haunting
6. Zombie (seriously, Zombie vs. Shark...watch it)
5. Freaks
4. Last House on The Left (Original)
3. Peeping Tom
2. Repulsion
1. Audition

This leads me to my discussion part. What are horror films that YOU love? Do you think modern horror can live up to classic frights? When is your favorite era of horror films? What scares you?


Go see something good!

TOP 10: Current Top 10 of '09...

So far this year, with two and a half months left, I have finally gotten my number of viewed films up to my goal of 80. Ranging from mid level indies, to shoe string budget character studies, to huge blockbusters, '09 has been a great year of film, and with the Fall Movie season hitting its stride, here's to hoping that we finish strong. Here are the 10 best films that I have seen through the first 10 months of 2009.

10. Up
9. Brothers Bloom
8. Drag Me To Hell
7. District 9
6. Fish Tank
5. Watchmen
4. 500 Days of Summer
3. The Hurt Locker
2. Inglourious Basterds
1. Where The Wild Things Are

What is YOUR favorite films of 2009?

Go see something good!

FORUM: 50 Best Directorial Debuts, and My Top 25...

So, last night I decided to bring back a favorite feature of this site, the top 10. Sure, it wasn't to heady as it was just the 10 Best High School Films, but it seems like more and more people are chimming in with their own respective new lists. First, InContention came out with their 10 Best Best Picture Winners Ever (a list you better damn well know I'll be stealing soon), but the really interesting one has come out of Time Out London's website.

Here's how Cinematical sums up the idea:

Making a list of debut films is tougher because it's sometimes hard to know when to start. (Do you count short films as debut films? What if, as in the cases of Kathryn Bigelow and Federico Fellini, the first credit is a shared one?) Some of the greatest filmmakers made really unremarkable debuts: can anyone name, or has anyone actually seen, John Ford's debut? And David Cronenberg's official debut is a deadly dull film he made at college. Then there's the sticky question as to how valuable a debut film really is if the filmmaker did not live up to his or her promise (Justin Lin, etc.)? Not to mention that this kind of list requires actual research. I don't think you can plug "debut film" as a keyword into the IMDB search engine. You have to actually comb through your DVD collection and lists of your favorite directors to find the great debuts.

Well, Time Out London has actually done a brilliant job in creating this easily falable list of Directorial Debuts. Sure, there are a few glaring holes (Reservior Dogs not cracking the top 20, and there really controversial picks for #2 and #1), but they also have some stunning and inspired choices. Ranging from Jaques Tati to Gaspar Noe, this list is a really well thought out cross section of cinema. However, it's not my top 25, so it doesn't matter. So in honor of this inspired idea, here IS my list of the 25 greatest Directorial Debuts.

25. Brick
24. Buffalo '66
23. Performance
22. Man Bites Dog
21. Texas Chainsaw Massacre
20. I Stand Alone
19. Kids
18. Eraserhead
17. City of God
16. Knife in The Water
15. Being John Malkovich
14. Gates of Heaven
13. L'Age D'or
12. Badlands
11. Hard Eight
10. George Washington
9. Killer of Sheep
8. Memento
7. Bottle Rocket
6. Pi
5. Primer
4. Blood Simple
3. Reservoir Dogs
2. Breathless
1. 400 Blows

These are the 25 BEST first films from film makers ranging from new legends like Paul Thomas Anderson, to gods like Godard. Let the debate begin.

Go see something good!

TOP 10: High School Films...

So, Jennifer's Body was released this past weekend, and while I could have done a top 10 films starring a horrible actress, I figured that would be a bit mean, and having not seen the film, a bit unjust. Sure, I'm not a fan of Megan Fox or anything about her, however, that's not fair either, as I normally HATE films about high school. They often feature schlocky dialouge and cliche characters, and, did I mention, they take place in high school, a time that should never be glorified on screen. That is, unless you are these ten classics:

10. Heathers
9. The Last Picture Show
8. High School
7. Elephant
6. Dazed and Confused
5. Pretty In Pink
4. The Breakfast Club
3. Election
2. Brick
1. Rushmore

Go see something good!

REVIEW: The Summer That Was...

Instead of doing a film review today (I just rented Sleep Dealer, a film I've been DYING to see since I first heard about it over on the /Filmcast), I decided that I think it may be time for me to wrap up this summer, with a few awards. Here you will find the best of the best from the first 9 months of this year, the worst, the underrated, and the overrated, along with a few interesting awards. Enjoy, and remember, let the debate begin! It's the Oscar's, minus 3 months of films...

The Top 10 Films of '09, so far
10. Adam
9. World's Greatest Dad
8. Drag Me To Hell
7. Up
6. District 9
5. Sin Nombre
4. The Hurt Locker
3. 500 Days of Summer
2. Watchmen
1. Inglourious Basterds

The Bottom 10 Films of '09, so far

10. Chocolate
9. G.I. Joe
8. Angels and Demons
7. X-Men Origins: Wolverine
6. True North
5. Last House on The Left
4. He's Just Not That Into You
3. Street Fighter: Legend of Chun Li
2. The Unborn
1. Transformers: Revenge of The Fallen

Best Director - Quentin Tarantino "Inglourious Basterds"
Honorable Mention - Katheryn Bigelow "The Hurt Locker"

Worst Director - Michael Bay "Tranformers 2"
Dishonorable Mention - Ron Howard "Angels and Demons"

Best Male Performance/Lead - Joseph Gordon-Levitt "500 Days of Summer
Honorable Mention - Hugh Dancy "Adam"

Best Female Performance/Lead - Zooey Deschanel "500 Days of Summer"
Honorable Mention - Melanie Laurent "Inglourious Basterds"

Best Male Performane/Supporting - Jackie Earl Haley "Watchmen"
Honorable Mention - Christoph Waltz "Inglourious Basterds"

Best Female Performance/Supporting - Jess Weixler "Peter and Vandy"
Honorable Mention - Paulina Gaitan "Sin Nombre"

Best Soundtrack - 500 Days of Summer
Best Original Score - Up
Best Original Screenplay - Inglourious Basterds
Best Adapted Screenplay - Watchmen
Biggest Disappointment - Public Enemies
Biggest Surprise - The Hurt Locker
Best Film You Haven't Heard Of - Sin Nombre
Worst Film I Wish I Hadn't Heard Of - Transformers 2
Top 5 Films Out That I Have to See
- The Girlfriend Experience
- Brother's Bloom
- Away We Go
- Taking Woodstock
- Moon

Final one

Top 15 Most Anticipated For The REST of '09
15. The Informant
14. Up in The Air
13. Lovely Bones
12. Whip It
11. Life During Wartime
10. Broken Embraces
9. Tetro
8. Tree Of Life
7. Nine
6. Biutiful
5. Imaginarium Of Dr. Parnassus
4. Antichrist
3. A Bright Star
2. A Serious Man
1. Where The Wild Things Are

Go see something good!

TOP 10: Dystopian/Future Movies...

So, this week see's not only the release of the dystopian animated epic, 9, but it also sees the end of modern comedy, with the release of ANOTHER Tyler Perry turd. However, instead of dwelling on that fact, and the fact that 9 is getting less mixed to positive reviews, how about I bring back an old classic. I haven't done a top 10 that isn't 2009 related in what seems to be months, so I think it's about time. Here are the 10 greatest films relating to a dystopian future.

10. Dark City/Ghost In The Shell (See THESE to see where The Matrix came from)
9. Battle Royale
8. 12 Monkeys/ La Jetee
7. Children of Men
6. Brazil
5. Delicatessen
4. Alphaville
3. Blade Runner
2. Metropolis
1. A Clockwork Orange

*2001: A Space Odyssey Memorial List*

What about YOU? What do you think deserved to be number one?

NEWS/TOP 10: Paste's 25 Most Essential Foreign Films Since 2000 and MY Top 10...

So recently, Paste Magazine (awesome magazing for the indie music/film fan in your life) posted their list for the "Top 25 Foreign Films Since 2000". While it's a really solid list, I do have a few disagreements. Here is their list.

25. Maria Full of Grace
24. Persepolis
23. Volver
22. Let The Right One In
21. Oldboy
20. Gommorah
19. Downfall
18. Paradise Now
17. Yesturday
16. The Class
15. Nobody Knows
14. The Best of Youth
13. Y Tu Mama Tambien
12. Amelie
11. 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days
10. Cache
9. Amores Perros
8. The Lives of Others
7. In The Mood For Love
6. Spirited Away
5. Talk To Her
4. City of God
3. The Diving Bell and The Butterfly
2. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
1. Pan's Labryinth

While I love the ones on the list I've seen (all but Nobody Knows, Yesterday, and Best of Youth), I have a BIT of a different list, at least a different top 10. Therefore, in my newest edition of TOP 10, here is my list of the 10 essential foreign films since 2000...

10. Howl's Moving Castle/Pan's Labryinth
9. Amorres Perros
8. Let The Right One In
7. Cache
6. Maria Full Of Grace
5. In The Mood For Love
4. City of God
3. Tripletts of Belleville
2. Amelie
1. Oldboy

What are YOUR favorite foreign films?

TOP 10: Top 10 of 2009, So Far...

So, we are officially over a third of the way through the year, and I still have yet to post my top 10 so far. That is about to change. These are the ten best films from 2009, so far this year.

1. Watchmen
2. Adventureland
3. Observe and Report
4. State Of Play
5. Crank: High Voltage
6. Tales of The Black Freighter
7. Duplicity
8. Sunshine Cleaning
9. Taken
10. Fanboys

What are your favorite films of 2009?

Go see something good!

TOP 10: Action Films from 2000 to Today...

So, this week sees the release of a new action film, Fast And Furious. While the subsequent sequels have sucked, I have a soft spot in my heart for the original Fast and the Furious film. It's brainless, but when I turn on the tv and am in my pj's on a rainy Sunday afternoon, and see that that is on, I may just stop for a couple of scenes and get lost in the nos fueled world that is FatF. Sure, it's not a great film, but these ten are. These are the ten best action films from the this part of the decade.

10. 28 Days Later
9. Iron Man
8. District 13
7. Kill Bill Vol. 1
6. Spiderman 2
5. Crank
4. Casino Royale
3. The Dark Knight
2. The Bourne Ultimatum
1. X-2 (Simply for that opening fight scene. Brilliant)

What is YOUR favorite action film from the last 8 1/4th years??

Go see something good!

TOP 5: Irish Films...

I wrote up a little diddy for my school newspaper, and have decided to post a link to it on my blog.

Check out my top 5 Irish films at this link...

Go see something good!

HAPPY ST. PATTY'S DAY...

TOP 10: Biggest Oscar Blunders...

In honor of the complete mess that is known as The Academy Award's, I've decided to come up with my list of the top 10 Blunders made by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences...

10. 2001 - Best Foreign Language Film - No Man's Land beats out Amelie
9. 1996 - Best Picture - The English Patient beats out Fargo
8. 2006 - Best Picture - The Departed beats out Babel
7. 2001 - Best Director - Ron Howard (Beautiful Mind) beats out David Lynch (Mulholland Drive)
6. 1999 - Best Director - Sam Mendes (American Beauty) beats out Spike Jonze (Being John Malkovich)
5. 1990 - Best Picture - Dances With Wolves beats Goodfellas
4. 2002 - Best Actor In A Leading Role - Adrian Brody beats Daniel Day-Lewis for Gangs of New York
3. 1976 - Best Picture - Rocky beats All The Presidents Men, Taxi Driver, and Network
2. 2004 - Best Animated Feature - Finding Nemo beats out The Tripletts of Belleville
1. 1994 - Best Picture - Pulp Fiction loses to Forrest Gump

What are some of your biggest dissapointments?

Go see something good!

TOP 10: Anticipated of '09...

Hey faithful readers. We are 3 days away from this year officially being placed in the history books, so I've decided, instead of continuing my look back, I'll take a look forward. I've compiled a list of the ten most anticipated film releases, at least in my book. Enjoy!

10. Public Enemies
9. The Road
8. New York, I Love You/Tokyo!
7. Shutter Island
6. The Fantastic Mr. Fox
5. Inglourious Basterds
4. Sherlock Holmes
3. Up
2. Watchmen
1. Where The Wild Things Are


What are YOU looking forward to next year? Wolverine? Star Trek? Zac Effron's brilliant turn in 17 Again??

Go see something good!

TOP 10: Trailers of 2008...

Everything starts with a preview. No one would find out about a film, if there were no publicity or promotion behind it (perfect example, Delgo). So, in honor of that, and it being near the end of this long year, I have compiled my list of the 10 Best Trailers released this year.

10. Fears Of The Dark



9.W



8. Doubt



7. Zack and Miri Make a Porno (Red Band)



6. Benjamin Button



5. Milk



4. Rachel Getting Married



3. The Wrestler



2. Revolutionary Road (Trailer 1)



1. Watchmen (Trailer 1)



What films did I forget? What shouldn't be on this list?

Come back later for more news and notes!!!

Go see something good!

SPECIAL TOP 10: News Stories of '08...

So, I was watching G4 today, as I do everyday (it is the greatest channel on television, just to let you all know) and I came across a special episode of X-Play, their videogame news show. It was an hour long episode, and it went over their ten most important and newsworthy stories of the year, in videogames. After a little bit of thinking, I decided to do the same, instead of a forum post about possible replacements for Christopher Nolan if he decides to skip out on the third Batman film (which I will do later, because I would love to get your thoughts on that). Therefor, here are the ten most important and newsworthy pieces of film news of this year.

10. The B.S. - The Dark Knight and it's subsiquent unwarranted sequel rumors
9. The Trend - The copius amounts of remakes out, and in development
8. The Delays - The Soloist, The Road, Sherlock Holmes, and Defiance
7. The Brilliance - Hulu gains popularity AND a ton of great films/tv shows
6. The Superheroes - The Rebirth of the Comic Book Film Genre with The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, Dark Knight, Wanted, and Hellboy 2 all being very popular, publicly and critically
5. The Aliens - The dissapointment known as Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of The Crystal Skull
4. The Blockbuster - The HUGE Box Office gross for The Dark Knight
3. The comebacks - Robert Downey Jr. and Mickey Rourke
2. The Trailer - Watchmen, and it's subsequent court case
1. The Loss Of Talent and Legends - Heath Ledger, Roy Scheider, Paul Newman, Isaac Hayes, Bernie Mac, George Carlin, Stan Winston, Sydney Pollack, Charleton Heston, Anthony Minghella

What are some stories I forgot? There have been a lot, so I kept these a little general, but what do you think should have made the list?

Come back later for more news and notes...

Go see something good

TOP 10: Epic Films...

Hello all! So, this past week, or maybe a few weeks ago, the newest film from director/genius Steven Soderbergh was released. Che, a biopic on the life of Che Guevara, stars Benicio Del Toro as the man himself. Now, unlike a previous film about him, The Motorcycle Diaries (brilliant, by the way, and one hell of a score), Che has not only an epic feel, but an epic length, as the running time clocks in at right under 4 1/2 hours. Now, I'm a fan of films, no matter the length. However, I'm here to honor, not the longest of films, but the most grandiose and epic of them. Here are the 10 best Epics...

10. There Will Be Blood (for a more modern feel to the epic film)
9. Dr. Zhivago
8. Spartacus/Paths of Glory
7. Gandhi
6. Schindler's List
5. Gone With The Wind
4. Seven Samurai
3. Godfather Part 1 & 2
2. Lawrence of Arabia
1. 2001: A Space Odyssey

Next week I will have my year end blowout, and then the following Tuesday, I will have the ranking of EVERY film I've seen in 2008...All 80 of them...

Go see something good!

TOP 10: Hottest Sex Scenes...

We all love to watch. Especially when it involves beautiful people. This list consists of the hottest films that require freeze frames, slow-motion, repeat performances or some carefully calibrated combination of the three. These are the ten hottest sex scenes in film history. Oh, and before I forget, credit for this list must be given to Bronwyn. Thank you for the brilliant and fun (at least in the research) list.



10. Original Sin
9. Sex and Lucia
8. Unfaithful
7. Inventing The Abbots (umm...Jennifer Connely naked...'nuff said)
6. Secretary
5. Little Children
4. Y Tu Mama Tambien
3. The Unbearable Lightness of Being
2. History Of Violence (either)
1. Mulholland Dr.

Honorable Mention: Brown Bunny (see it, and see why)

What are some ones I left off?

Go see something good...

TOP 10: Action Films...

Hello all! Today is Tuesday, which is DVD release day, and the one film I believe you should all check out, happens to be the balls-splattered-on-the-walls action film, Wanted. Now, there has not been a single film this year that had more action per minute, it was to a point where I damn near overdosed on action. In honor of this flick, I have comprised my personal list for the 10 greatest action films ever made. I may have done this list before, but there are to many that I have done to really remember, so here is my list anyways...OH! The film gets bonus points if the hero is badass...just keep that in mind...

10. Escape From New York/ Die Hard (Badass Double Feature)
9. Casino Royale
8. The Bourne Ultimatum
7. Kill Bill Vol. 1
6. Empire Strikes Back
5. Spiderman 2/ X-2
4. Seven Samauri
3. Raiders of The Lost Ark
2.Aliens
1. Hard Boiled (NOT the best film on the list, but it IS a brilliant film, and I have yet to see a film with more action, and still be as good as it is)

What is YOUR favorite action film?

Go see something good!

TOP 10: Biggest Turkeys of 2008...

Hey guys! So, in honor of Thanksgiving, I will be doing TWO top 10's this week. First off, we have today's which is the top 10 biggest "Turkey's" of the year, also known as the ten worst or most dissapointing films of the year...Here they are, the worst of the worst...

10. Jumper
9. Never Back Down
8. 10,000 B.C.
7. Vantage Point
6. The Happening
5. Mad Money
4. Strange Wilderness
3. Drillbit Taylor
2. Prom Night
1. Meet The Spartans

So, there's the list. I doubt that any film left, that I will see at least, will be this bad, so expect this to stay pretty solid for the last month of '08. I'll have the 10 things I'm most thankful for in film on Wednesday.

Come back in a little while for more movie news, notes, and any other happenings that go down over in Hollywood...

Go see something good!

TOP 10: Movie Soundtracks...

I think I may have already done this top 10, but if that is the case, it will be deleted. This weeks biggest piece of news so far, outside of the new Watchmen posters and news that a second trailer will be attached to Quantum of Solace this week, has been the rumors that Quentin Tarantino is in talks with legendary composer Ennio Morricone to get him to score his upcoming film, Inglorious Basterds. I have mixed emotions about this, but there is nothing mixed about my feelings towards Tarantino when it comes to creating soundtracks. There is none and have not been anyone better at doing it. So in honor of this news, I have compiled the ten best film soundtracks I've ever heard...

10. Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2
9. Once
8. Magnolia/Boogie Nights
7. Control/24 Hour Party People (Joy Division...'nuff said)
6. The Big Lebowski
5. The Graduate
4. Reservior Dogs/Death Proof
3. Do The Right Thing
2. Royal Tenenbaums/Bottle Rocket
1. Pulp Fiction

What's your favorite film soundtrack??