Best of the Decade (Jake) (cont.) (Essay)

5. The Departed (2006): Just because it's predictable list material does not mean it should go uncredited. My favorite Scorsese film to date, The Departed was brilliantly written and played, as suspenseful as it was hilarious. This film, in my eyes, an instant classic, deserves to be studied alongside Chinatown and The Godfather as one of thee most layered, even if preposterously so, crime thrillers in cinema. Why this film was important: Won Scorsese the Oscar, finally; gave a nod to Hong Kong cinema (the film was based off of Alan Mak and Wai-keung Lau's 2002 Infernal Affairs) in a huge way.

Best of the Decade (Jake) (cont.) (Essay)

NOTE: Screw the two at a time.

8. Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance (2002): The first film in Chan-wook Park's “revenge trilogy” (best known for its second film, Old Boy), Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance was a powerful representation of vengeance in its most cruel and unfortunate state. The satisfying and invigorating vengeance of Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill series was no where to be found, as Park blended right and wrong into one and pitted his characters against one another despite the good intentions each of them lived by. When his dying sister needs a kidney transplant, deaf Ryu resorts to kidnapping his former boss's daughter and holding her for ransom; a series of misfortunes and heinous retributions ensue. The quiet of the film played key to the intensity of Mr. Vengeance, whose tragic story was alone enough to make it one of the best of the decade. Park's trilogy turned the world's gaze toward Korean film, and Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance was a leading example of the amazing talent going little noticed in the region. Why this film was important: For me, Park's film solidified my yearning for foreign film, setting in motion a desire to experience further unknowns, little-knowns or distant films. For everyone else, it was simply one of the most affecting films of the decade.

Best of the Decade (Nate) (Essay)

Note: Like my sibling’s list, mine is made up of representatives of genre, mainly to avoid one genre taking up the whole list. My eye also tends to center on technical breakthroughs and life-changing event films. I’ve also tried to stay away from films that everyone has on their lists, and I’ve succeeded for the most part.

10. Wet Hot American Summer (David Wain, 2001)


David Wain’s first feature, is, at first glance, a normal comedy. But on second (and third, fourth, and fifth), it’s actually the best comedy of the decade and up there on the all-time list. Wall-to-wall wackyness is all there is to be found, with new jokes and gags to be discovered on every viewing. Unlike many many other comedies, there’s no relationship B-story drama or anything else getting in the way of the funny. There’s also not much motivation behind the jokes other than they’re funny. What this movie did for me on a personal level was negate everything I learned in film school (everything in movies has meaning), and inspire me to make movies in the same vain. This concept, only-there-for-funny, unfortunately went over the heads of my film professors.

Best of the Decade (Jake) (Essay)

NOTE: The following list is an effort to quantify and order the films of the recent decade. Most of the films I have chosen are figure-heads of their respective "type," but I did not disregard a film merely because another of its "kind" already made the list (at least not on more than one occasion). Half of this list is predictable and, yes, down-right boring: at this point we know what was good and what deserves recognition at least if its just that, a nod of the head. However, I've chosen the few that stand out and emphasized them in an attempt to keep things at least somewhat interesting. I will be posting my top 10 two at a time for the next few days, followed by some notable mentions and other random awards of the decade. Enjoy.

10. Children of Men (2006): Alfonso Cuarón's modern sci-fi masterpiece was a shock to the system, a social justice film as subversive in its technique as it was open about its message. Why this film was important: Re-educated us on how to make a sci-fi film: one without monsters or aliens or futuristic weaponry or psychological gimmicks; showcased for folks like Spielberg that technique and story are at the heart of making quality, AND entertaining, cinema.

Reitman Interview (cont.) (Essay)

On casting for Up in the Air:

I asked Reitman if he casted people like Jason Bateman (again) and Zach Galifianakis in order to draw the college-humor crowd, in order to expand his viewership beyond white-haired women in shalls. To this Reitman reacted strongly, saying he had casted Galifianakis long before The Hangover debuted, long before college-America knew of the actor/comedian. He said he likes writing for/casting people he genuinely likes and genuinely wants to work for, and expressed his frustration with the archetype that was created for Galifianakis, one that he does not fit in Up in the Air. It seemed he was saying Galifianakis' assumed character type was a detriment to his part in Up in the Air, rather than something positive he purposely set out to accomplish (as I had thought). Where audiences may expect Galifianakis to “say something stupid,” he said, they are instead met with a more or less sympathetic and straightforward character [who is only a part of the film for 60 seconds or so—JB].