Top 250 Films of the 21st Century; And A New Sight&Soundesque Movie List Is Born

Every January, the website THEY SHOOT PICTURES, DON'T THEY? re-issues their "top films of the 21st century" list to incorporate the films from the previous year. This year's list was particularly interesting because it included the "best of the decade" lists too, hence a more significant amount of movement (including four changes in the top ten). I realized that even though this list is updated annually, the —0 years will be such a comprehensive summary of the current state of critical thinking that this entry (next to be seen in 2020) in my opinion joins Sight & Sounds' —2 year list (next due in 2012) and AFI's —5 list (next due in 2015) as a to-be-looked-forward-to uberfilmlist... listing the future VERTIGOs and KANEs.

This year 34 films dropped off the list. SPIRITED AWAY pushed FAR FROM HEAVEN from the high slot of #6 (FFH is now #14). The biggest jump goes to THE NEW WORLD— from 178 to 81 (OLDBOY which jumped an amazing 170 slots last year is up by another 6, now residing at 69).

Some films whose stock I knew would go up: THERE WILL BE BLOOD; DONNIE DARKO, CHILDREN OF MEN

Some films whose stock I knew would go down: FAR FROM HEAVEN; FLIGHT OF THE RED BALLOON; A CHRISTMAS TALE

Happy to see these films get more respect: 4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS, 2 DAYS; SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK; THE NEW WORLD

Sad to see these films take a significant plunge: MY WINNIPEG; BORAT; SCHOOL OF ROCK; AWAY FROM HER; BROKEN FLOWERS

Still reigning at #1 is Wong Kar-wai's IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE (photo above).

Here is a list of the 2009 additions (and link to the entire list):

13. THE HURT LOCKER
48. SUMMER HOURS
65. INGLORIOUS BASTERDS
67. A SERIOUS MAN
72. FANTASTIC MR. FOX
90. THE HEADLESS WOMAN
101. 35 SHOTS OF RUM
110. UP
114. THE DARK KNIGHT (2008)
121. POLICE, ADJECTIVE
122. THE WHITE RIBBON
181. TWO LOVERS
182. UP IN THE AIR
189. TIE XI QU: WEST OF THE TRACKS (2003)
191. IN THE LOOP
194. DOWNFALL (2004)
195. THE SUN (2005)
203. FEMME FATALE (2002)
209. CASINO ROYALE (2006)
220. BRIGHT STAR
221. SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE (2008)
222. THE BEACHES OF AGNES
223. GERRY (2001)
224. GOMORRAH
230. 28 DAYS LATER... (2002)
235. STILL WALKING
236. BLISSFULLY YOURS (2002)
237. CORALINE
238. KUNG FU HUSTLE (2004)
239. CODE UNKNOWN (2000)
241. OF TIME AND THE CITY
245. WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE
247. IRAQ IN FRAGMENTS (2006)
248. PRIVATE FEARS IN PUBLIC PLACES (2006)

Link to my blog entry from last year on the update.

1940s Oscar-Nominated Actors Dwindling

With the passing of Richard Todd and Jennifer Jones in December, and now Jean Simmons last week, there are but eight living Oscar-nominated actors from the '40s [three winners], plus two winners of the special award for juvenile performers, as follows:

Joan Fontaine (b. 1917), nominated for films of 1940, 1941, and 1943 (winner, Best Actress 1941)

Olivia de Havilland (b. 1916), nominated for films of 1939, 1941, 1946, 1948, 1949 (winner Best Actress, 1946 & 1949)

Mickey Rooney (b. 1920), nominated for films of 1939, 1943, 1955 (winner of Honorary Oscar in 1983)

Angela Lansbury (b. 1925), nominated for films of 1944, 1945, 1962

Ann Blyth (b. 1928), nominated for films of 1945

Joan Lorring (b. 1926), nominated for films of 1945

Celeste Holm (b. 1917), nominated for films of 1947, 1949 (winner, Best Supporting Actress, 1947)

Kirk Douglas (who'll outlive us all) (in photo above in 2009) (b. 1916), nominated 1949 (winner of Honorary Oscar in 1996)

Margaret O'Brien (b. 1937) and Claude Jarman, Jr. (b. 1934) won Special Awards for Juvenile Acting in 1944 and 1946 respectively

There are no nominated actors alive from the 1920s, and four alive from the 1930s: Jackie Cooper (Best Actor nominee 1930-31), Luise Rainer (Best Actress winner 1936 & 1937), Mickey Rooney (Best Actor nominee 1939), and Olivia de Havilland (Best Supporting Actress nominee 1939), plus Special Award winner Shirley Temple (films of 1934).

Box Office #1s: US Domestic

Avatar easily topped this year's US domestic box office list and is likely to surpass Titanic for the all-time slot. Here are the top grossing films of the last ten years, mostly "franchise" blockbusters:
2009: Avatar
2008: The Dark Knight
2007: Spider-Man 3
2006: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
2005: Star Wars: Episode III
2004: Shrek 2
2003: LOTR: Return of the King
2002: Spider-Man
2001: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
2000: How the Grinch Stole Christmas

What will be the biggest US domestic release this year? Robin Hood? Iron Man 2? Twilight: Eclipse? Shrek 4?

"Avatar" Wins Top Globes

Like last year, I thought the Golden Globes were a big snnnoooozzzeee. Ricky Gervais didn't add much. Surprised by the double Avatar victory. And Best Picture Oscar front runner The Hurt Locker got 0 wins. Only four times in Golden Globes history has the eventual winner of the Oscar for Best Picture won zero Globes: Casablanca (1943), The Sting (1973), The Godfather Part II (1974), and Crash (2005).

Jeff Bridges made up for his BFCA blunder in which he accidentally called writer-director Scott Cooper, Chris Cooper! I liked Bridges' speech, bringing his parents into it. I also liked his joke about the standing ovation cramping his reputation for being under appreciated... funny! I think the best speech of the night was Scorsese's for the Cecil B. DeMille Award (if a bit long). But really the show was "moment"-less. Quentin got screwed; I hope he gets at least the Oscar for Screenplay.

The biggest surprise, betting-wise was Chloe Sevigny's win over Jane Lynch for Supporting TV Actor; followed by Downey Jr.'s win (for Sherlock Holmes) over Matt Damon and Michael Stuhlbarg in Comedy/Musical Actor.

Usually there is one upset in the acting for the Oscar but I can't see where it would happen this year: Bridges, Streep, Waltz, Mo'nique. Who'd get bumped?

Centennials 2010

As the years go by, the number of interesting centennials in the world of movies is on the rise, with all of the great studio players and film directors of the 1930s-50s reaching their 100th. Below is a list of some of the most notable (and a few other related ones). As always, revival houses and museums often base film festivals around centennials— would be cool to see a David Niven, Akira Kurosawa, or Gloria Stuart series.


Centennials '10:

January 12: Luise Rainer, actress
February 3: Robert Earl Jones, actor (d. 2006)
February 27: Joan Bennett, actress (d. 1990)
March 1: David Niven, actor (d. 1983) (photo, above)
March 8: Claire Trevor, actress (d. 2000)
March 23: Akira Kurosawa, director (d. 1998) (photo, above)
March 24: Richard Conte, actor (d. 1975)
March 28: Jimmie Dodd, actor (d. 1964)
April 23: Simone Simon, actress (d. 2005)
April 24: Albert Zugsmith, producer (d. 1993)
May 3: Norman Corwin, writer
May 6: Mary Loos, writer (d. 2004)
May 15: Constance Cummings, actress (d. 2005)
May 23: Scatman Crothers, actor (d. 1986)
June 3: Paulette Goddard, actress (d. 1990)
June 10: Robert Cummings, actor (d. 1990)
June 11: Carmine Coppola, composer (d. 1991)
June 11: Jacques-Yves Cousteau, underwater explorer-documentarian (d. 1997)
June 13: Mary Wickes, actress (d. 1995)
June 14: William H. Reynolds, editor (d. 1997)
June 29: Frank Loesser, songwriter-composer (d. 1969)
July 4: Gloria Stuart, actress
July 10: Bert Granet, producer (d.2002)
July 12: William Hanna, producer (d. 2001)
July 17: Barbara O'Neil, actress (d. 1980)
August 4: Anita Page, actress (d. 2008)
August 8: Sylvia Sidney, actress (d. 1999)
August 12: Jane Wyatt, actress (d. 2006)
August 15: Signe Hasso, actress (d. 2002)
August 16: Mae Clarke, actress (d. 1992)
September 3: Kitty Carlisle Hart, actress (d. 2007)
September 14: Jack Hawkins, actor (d. 1973)
September 19: Jesse Lasky, Jr., screenwriter (d. 1988)
September 29: Virginia Bruce, actress (d. 1982)
November 14: Rosemary DeCamp, actress (d. 2001)
December 4: Alex North, composer (d. 1991)
December 5: Abraham Polonsky, writer-director (d. 1999)
December 13: Van Heflin, actor (d. 1971)
December 13: Lillian Roth, actress (d. 1980)
December 20: Cary Odell, art director (d. 1988)
December 31: Roy Rowland, film director (d. 1995)

1910s-20s-30s Films On My Movie Radar

I saw many films from my 1910s-20s and 1930s lists from last year (plus scratching off Quo Vadis, Smouldering Fires, I Flunked But..., and The Scoundrel since they're not readily available), leaving quite a few slots for my now six films-to-see of this early period of feature filmmaking.

The 1910s and 20s brought us the Italian super-spectacle; the epics of Griffith; the comedies of Chaplin, Keaton, & Lloyd; the expressionist films of Germany; the prestige films of France; and the first Oscar winners. The 1930s is primarily known as Hollywood's Golden Age (from pre-code to its greatest year- 1939) however, internationally, several of the most important directors of the twentieth century made their first great films in this decade: Alfred Hitchcock (following some promising 20s films), Yasujiro Ozu, and Jean Renior, among others. Here are six films that have so-far managed to elude me from the early days of cinema, but they're on my movie radar:

The Child of Paris - 1913

Children's Faces - 1925

Chang - 1927

Charlie Chang in Shanghai - 1935

Algiers - 1938

Port of Shadows - 1938

One Line Review's Top Ten Movies and Noteworthy Achievements 2009

TOP TEN (alphabetical):
Capitalism: A Love Story (d. Michael Moore)
District 9 (d. Neill Blomkamp)
The Hurt Locker (d. Kathryn Bigelow)
I Love You, Man (d. John Hamburg)
Inglourious Basterds (d. Quentin Tarantino)
Julie & Julia (d. Nora Ephron)
Nine (d. Rob Marshall)
Paranormal Activity (d. Oren Peli)
Up (d. Pete Docter, Bob Peterson)
World’s Greatest Dad (d. Bobcat Golthwait)



NOTEWORTHY ACHIEVEMENTS:

Best Picture:
Inglourious Basterds
Best Actor:
Sharlto Copley in District 9
Best Actress:
Meryl Streep in Julie & Julia
Best Supporting Actor:
Christoph Waltz in Inglourious Basterds
Best Supporting Actress:
Rosamund Pike in An Education
Best Director:
Quentin Tarantino for Inglourious Basterds
Best Original Screenplay:
Bobcat Goldthwait for World’s Greatest Dad
Best Adapted Screenplay:
Nora Ephron for Julie & Julia

Honorable Mentions:
• Best Actor: Matt Damon (The Informant!), Zach Galifianakis (The Hangover), Brad Pitt (Inglourious Basterds), Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker), Paul Rudd (I Love You, Man), Michael Stuhlbarg (A Serious Man), Robin Williams (World’s Greatest Dad).
• Best Actress: Katie Featherston (Paranormal Activity), Ellen Page (Whip It), Gabourey Sidibe (Precious), Evan Rachel Wood (Whatever Works).
• Best Supporting Actor: Ed Begley, Jr. (Whatever Works), Christian McKay (Me and Orson Welles), Ryan Reynolds (Adventureland), Gene Simmons (Extract), Stanley Tucci (Julie & Julia).
• Best Supporting Actress: Marion Cotillard (Nine), Juliette Lewis (Whip It).
• Best Director: Pedro Almodovar (Broken Embraces), Orin Peli (Paranormal Activity).
• Best Original Screenplay: John Hamburg and Larry Levin (I Love You, Man), Orin Peli (Paranormal Activity), Quentin Tarantino (Inglourious Basterds).

2009 was not among the very best movie years, as with other "'9s": 1919, 1939, 1959, 1969, 1989, 1999 are all strong movie years. Still, it was an improvement over last year. I did discover that I had A LOT of performances to choose from for best acting (leading to an an unusual amount of honorable mentions). Of all my picks, I'd love to see Bobcat Goldthwait sneak into the Best Original Screenplay category for the Oscar (a crowded field this year). This is probably Quentin Tarantino's last best chance to win Best Director... but facing an historic win for Kathryn Bigelow, it seems mighty unlikely... he'll just have to settle with being in Orson Welles' company as solely a Best Co-screenwriter Oscar winner.

For my Feb 1st blog entry (the day before the Oscar nominations), I'll list my own Oscar ballot choices.