In which I talk about the best films of the noughties: Volume 5

2004

15. Finding Neverland (2004)

J. M. Barrie strives to write a play he feels is worthy of going to see, one that will strike people on a personal level and capture their imaginations, allow them to escape from the world for a night. Barrie himself prefers the childlike enthusiasm of his own imagination, a fact which is putting a strain on his marriage, but which leads to a friendship with a family of boys and their widowed mother. His friendship with these children is viewed critically by a rigid society, and the themes of everlasting youth in his play seem to parallel Barrie’s determination to hold onto innocence and enjoyment in his own life. The reason I like this film so much is that it explores the fun that is to be found if you allow yourself to be drawn into a story, even a fantasy – to leave behind cynicism and just enjoy. Kate Winslet is beautifully tragic as Sylvia Llewellyn-Davies, and I always enjoy watching Mr Depp. Little Freddie Highmore can break your heart, and I defy anyone to not well up at least a little when the children of Great Ormond Street Hospital enter the theatre to help the grown ups enjoy and understand Peter Pan.

Best scene: the play performed in the parlour for Sylvia.

“What a horrible, candle-snuffing word. That’s like saying, ‘He can’t climb that mountain. He’s just a man’, or ‘That’s not a diamond, it’s just a rock’. Just.”

2. Shaun of the Dead (2004)

Shaun is a regular guy trying to sort out his life. His girlfriend has dumped him, he doesn’t get along with his stepfather, and his best friend is a largely sedentary former schoolmate who hasn’t quite adapted into adulthood. On top of which, the dead are coming back to life as zombies and roaming the Earth. Just one of those days… My love for Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright knows few bounds, and their sense of humour is what gets this film into the top 50. That, and the fact that all the performers play it absolutely straight, with the ridiculousness of their surroundings only enhancing the comedy. This is the first in Pegg and Wright’s Blood and Ice Cream trilogy. An excellent beginning.

Best scene: battling zombies in time to Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now”. Genius.

“How’s that for a slice of fried gold?”

In which I talk about the best films of the noughties: Volume 4

2003

13. Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

All right, here’s the last one. Two little hobbits make their way through the perils of Mordor to destroy the One Ring. The rest of the fellowship spends the movie kicking ass, lighting fires and generally being awesome. And Gollum, well, Gollum is awesome in his own, evil way. It occurs to me that my review of these films has been mostly subjective, but still, I loved this last instalment. There is so much contained in this movie: battle at Pelennor Fields (horses, horses, horses), the oliphants, Shelob vs Sam, the lighting of the beacons and that gorgeous, final battle, where Viggo Mortensen just makes me cry. Jackson and his team structured the climactic film with such enthusiasm and attention to detail that it was clear it was being made by fans as well as filmmakers, and this is reflected in the script as much as in the visual components. Difficult to say which is my favourite part, and I can’t even single out a performance without feeling like I’m omitting another…

Best scene: (it changes every few minutes, so right now we’ll say) the destruction of the One Ring.

“I’m glad to be with you, Samwise Gamgee, here at the end of all things.”

14. Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)

The idea of a movie based on a theme park ride had me seriously questioning Johnny Depp’s decision making abilities. Obviously, he knew more than anyone else, and turned out to be the best thing about this film. Not only that, but he gave us one of the best character turns of the decade. Famously, this is attributed almost entirely to Mr Depp, who came up with the costume, makeup and general air of…oddness…that surrounds Jack Sparrow, all by himself. This is a fantastic rendering of a good old adventure film, some of the best fun you can have at the movies. Supporting characters cannot be dismissed, especially in the form of Geoffrey Rush, a giant of an actor who looks as though he’s having the time of his life. This movie would not have been half as good if not for the performances, and in an action film, that’s saying something.

Best scene: any scene, really, featuring Johnny Depp.

“Me, I’m dishonest. And a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest. Honestly, it’s the honest ones you want to watch out for.”

In which I talk about the best films of the noughties: Volume 3

2002

8. Road To Perdition (2002)

In America’s depression-era 1930s, a hit man is thrown into a life on the run from his own “family” (oh yes, “family” in that sense of the word) when his son witnesses him and a colleague carrying out an assassination. I can understand when people remark that this is such a cold-looking film, and yet there is so much beauty in almost every aspect: the performances, the visual component, the score, the underrunning theme of death and menace as characters attempt to claw their way out of hell, even as they approach Perdition. Every single thing contributes to the story. I love the cinematography most of all: Daniel Craig’s introduction, the road to Chicago, the reading room, the freaking bead of sweat, the rain…oh my lord, the rain. Just incredible. In the commentary the director refers to a quote by Alfred Hitchcock, advising filmmakers to “treat your love scenes like murders and your murders like love scenes”. If you’ve seen the shootout in the rain, you’ll know what that means to Sam Mendes.

Best scene: the rain soaked street.

“Open your eyes! This is the life we chose, the life we lead! And there is only one guarantee: none of us will see heaven.”

9. Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)

Yes, you’re going to have to read two more of these. So two of the hobbits continue on their way to destroy the One Ring. The man, the elf, the dwarf and the wizard go off to defend the world of men against a rising evil, and the remaining hobbits discover the world of Ents. They’d have to have been nervous with this one. Nothing like pressure. Here the writers managed to construct a solid film out of what would have been the most difficult of the three to adapt. The second instalment might not have had the wide-eyed magic of the first or the urgency and sheer size of the third, but what it did have was a new and improved Gandalf, an incredibly well-directed battle, and Gollum. In many ways this movie belonged to one character, one scene.

Best scene: the taming of Smeagol.

“We wants it. We needs it. Must have the precious. They stole it from us. Sneaky little hobbitses. Wicked. Tricksy. False!”
“No, not master!”
“Yes, precious. False. They will cheat you, hurt you, lie!”
“Master is our friend!”
“You don’t have any friends! Nobody likes you!”
“I’m not listening! Not listening!”
“You’re a liar. And a thief!”
“Nope!”
“Muuuuuurderer…”

10. The Pianist (2002)

A film that you really shouldn’t go to see by yourself. Live and learn. The most powerful holocaust film since Schindler’s List, this was a harrowing, inside look at the life of Wladyslaw Szpilman, a Jewish-Polish and celebrated pianist. As the world around him descends into the anti-Semitism of a world at war, he finds his very identity decaying as violence and sadism is inflicted on the Jewish people with increasing blatancy. We are taken right inside the ghetto, into the horror. The lengths he goes to in order to survive (this is not a spoiler – the movie is based on this guy’s autobiography) are detailed across the rest of the film. It digs into your very core, this film. Brody is fairly astonishing, and Polanski’s direction – whatever you think of him personally – is masterful. Around this time I heard a reviewer lament that this was “yet another” holocaust film. I think it’s something we need to remember.

Best scene: the encounter with the grand piano: Szpilman’s hands hover with agony above the keys, unable to play for fear of discovery.

“It’s an official decree. No Jews allowed in the parks.”
“Are you joking?”
“No, I’m not. I would suggest we sit down on a bench, but that’s also an official decree. No Jews allowed on the benches.”
“This is absurd!”
“So, we should just stand here and talk. I don’t think we’re not allowed to do that.”

11. Chicago (2002)

Roxie Hart wants to be a star, and when she murders her lover she gets the chance, in the form of the Jazz Age’s best lawyer, Billy Flynn, who knows that the whole justice system is just a three-ring circus: you only have to know how to play. I’ve never been quite easy with Renee Zellweger, but frankly Catherine Zeta Jones and Richard Gere make up for that. Zeta-Jones has never had so much energy, nor so much room to use it, and Gere’s tap dance is one of my favourite cinematic moments. John C. Reilly and Queen Latifah give similarly awesome performances, and it’s difficult to believe that this was director Rob Marshall’s first feature film. The transitions to song and creativity in set pieces are inspired, and other than that it’s just plain fun to watch and engage in.

Best scene: the tap dance.

“They’d love you a lot more if you were hanged. You know why? Because it would sell more papers. That’s Chicago.”

12. Far From Heaven (2002)

In 1950s America, a white woman begins a friendship with a black gardener, while her husband has his own issues to deal with. Both these events will trouble the waters of the picture-perfect, polite society world. This film goes a lot deeper than it at first seems to. On the surface it’s an homage to the golden age of Hollywood: the long, sweeping establishing shots, the orchestral surges and figures through the fog… And that part is lovely. But it’s also a closer look at the feelings and dissatisfactions that bubble under the surface of this All-American couple, and how these are rendered cinematically. The colour palette idea is a nice one – each scene’s lighting, costumes and sets are coloured to depict a particular message or undercurrent. What’s really interesting by the end is what transgressions are forgiven by society and what transgressions are not. It’s technically fascinating.

Best scene: I’m not too sure why, but the part where her scarf flies over the house…beautiful.

“That was the day I stopped believing in the wild ardour of things. Perhaps in love, as well. That kind of love. The love in books and films. The love that tells us to abandon our lives and plans, all for one brief touch of Venus.”

In which I talk about the best films of the noughties: Volume 2

2001

3. Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

Hurrah! No, I don’t care that some people have decided not to like this anymore, or whatever, my love is true and loyal, and this movie rocks. Number one in the trilogy introduces those of us who had not yet managed to get through the monolith that is Tolkien’s novel to four of the cutest hobbits you ever did see, a very pretty elf, a robust dwarf and two of the toughest men you’ll ever see. I could (clearly) go on about this for ages, so what’s my favourite part? Hobbiton. The greenness and lushness and the fact that they got Bag End EXACTLY right. It’s a huge production, but every little detail is fantastic.

Best scene: Ian McKellen’s – sorry, Gandalf’s – entry into Hobbiton.

“Before you came along we Bagginses were very well thought of.”
“Indeed?”
“Never had any adventures or did anything unexpected.”
“If you’re referring to the incident with the dragon, I was barely involved.”

4. Gosford Park (2001)

A hunting party of well-to-dos arrives at a country estate for a weekend, attended by their many servants. In the night, someone is murdered. Everyone's a suspect! This is one of the most underrated films of the decade, has a remarkably elegant script and a cast to die for. It also has some very skilled direction going on – many different conversations going on simultaneously while the camera drifts in and out of each. One might be mistaken in thinking Gosford Park is a quiet film, but the truth is there are cacophonies of subtext in every line. Helen Mirren kicks ASS and Maggie Smith has some delicious lines, but there seriously isn’t a dud in the whole production.

Best scene: Helen Mirren’s final conversation with Kelly Macdonald.

“What gift do you think a good servant has that separates them from the others? It’s the gift of anticipation. And I’m a good servant. I’m better than good. I’m the best. I’m the perfect servant. I know when they’ll be hungry and the food is ready. I know when they’ll be tired and the bed is turned down. I know it before they know it themselves.”

5. Amelie (2001)

I totally almost forgot this one (had to get rid of Casino Royale)! The thing about Amelie, though, is that it is as fascinating from a filmmaking standpoint as it is from that of story: French waitress Amelie sets out to improve the lives of strangers, friends and relatives, seeking magic and mystery in a modern world. The colours are saturated and generally keep to rich reds, greens and yellows, giving the viewer an insight into Amelie’s character from note one – here is someone determined to see something extraordinary in the everyday. The humour is quick and the quirks sincere – the lightning-fast insights into the lives of passing characters manage to give the audience a city full of rounded, real people. Amelie’s slow-burn of self awareness is touching and only serves to highlight the effort it takes her to get to her final scene.

Best scene: skipping stones on the Canal St. Martin, in one of the film’s most beautiful shots.

“Amelie is a shy young woman with a taste for all life’s small pleasures: immersing one’s hand in a sack of grain, cracking the top of a crème brulee with the back of a teaspoon…or skipping stones on the Canal St. Martin…”

6. The Others (2001)

Speaking of underrated, I think this film has more to offer than it might at first seem. A Kelly-like Kidman is the mother of two in a large, empty house, waiting for her husband to return from the war. Slowly, things emerge in the ever-present shadows, and it becomes clear that someone – some others – are listening. There is a real eeriness to the film, with the great house on the hill surrounded by fog and not another sound in earshot. Nicole Kidman and her two creepy pale-faced children are fragile and very good as the tension builds between the light, the dark and the mist. Nice and atmospheric.

Best scene: the old woman and the little girl. if you have seen it you’ll know what I mean.

“I’m beginning to feel totally cut off from the world…”

7. Moulin Rouge! (2001)

Two star-crossed lovers steal moments together as they prepare for a performance spectacular, amid suspicious rivals and deadly consequences. It’s Romeo and Juliet, with music! And prostitutes! I love the enthusiasm of the exclamation point in the title. But this movie is mainly here for its sheer ballsiness – it’s so operatic, all colour and movement and mash-ups of songs you wouldn’t expect to find in gaye paree, but somehow after a few minutes it just WORKS. There are parts that I like more than others, but I think my favourite performance is El Tango de Roxanne. Moulin Rouge! just reinvented the musical for the new millennium.

Best scene: ‘your song’.

“Above all things I believe in love. Love is like oxygen. Love is a many-splendored thing. Love lifts us up where we belong – all you need is love!”

In which I talk about the best films of the noughties: Volume 1

A little introduction...

I've come across many a list lately about the best films of the decade from 2000 - 2009, and quite frankly, I'm sick of them being filled with movies I don't like. The logical step seems to be to make my own list of the 50 best films that I've seen over the last decade. There are, naturally, problems:

1) I haven't seen all the films, ok, and that's why you won't find "Up" on this list, among others.

2) This is an opinion piece. These are MY favourite films. I shall attempt to describe why I like them so much, but I'm not asking for a dissertation about why Kill Bill should be on here. Mostly because I haven't seen it. If it's not on the list, in fact, just assume I haven't seen it. I would, however, LOVE any recommendations.

3) Some decades seem to have a lot fewer candidates than others. I can't explain it, and quite frankly I don't know what I was doing in those years, movie-wise. Hmm.

2000

1. Best In Show (2000)

This is Christopher Guest’s best mockumentary, possibly helped by all the puppies. Five dogs compete for the title of Best In Show at the Mayflower Dog Show in Philadelphia, while the audience is invited to judge the behaviour of their owners. Each dog is matched with an appropriate owner (the uptight yuppies own a high-maintenance weimaraner, the poodle belongs with the upper-upper-class), but as Guest just lets his actors run with their dialogue, true neuroses and characters are revealed. The documentary style works perfectly along with the parody, and the performances are spot on (Parker Posey, Michael Hitchcock and John Michael Higgins in particular).

Best scene: the yuppies detail how they met.

"We met at Starbucks. Not at the same Starbucks but we saw each other at different Starbucks across the street from each other."

2. The Dish (2000)

Doing what the Australian film industry has the capacity to do best, this quiet little movie has a great big heart. Telling the story of the first moon landing from the antipodeans’ standpoint, four men strive to bring the photographs to the world while trying to sort out their own problems – high winds, power blackouts and not letting anyone realise that they’ve lost Apollo 11. These writers are experts at creating beautiful and endearing characters, especially of the small-town variety.

Best scene: Glenn demonstrates how satellites work, using a basketball.

"Imagine the earth is a basketball."

"This'll be good."

"And on top of the basketball there's...what's the name of the thing you put the pump into?"

"A hole."

"Yeah, but it's got a name."

"The valve?"

"The valve! Imagine on top there's a valve, and on the bottom there's another valve, and..."

"You know, basketballs only have one valve, Glenn."

"Well, what's something that's got two valves?"

"Tuba?"

"It's gotta be round."

"Tambourine?"

"That doesn't have valves!"

"Coconut!"

In which I am back after a long absence

It's been quite a hiatus. In between this post and the last, I have been knuckling down to participate in NaNoWriMo, and in the end reached exactly 50,000 words. Hurrah! Merry Nano to me!

I was quite proud, actually. I'd begun without much of a premise and with less conviction that I would be able to finish, but somewhere around the middle I really began to get into it, and had the pleasant experience of being completely surprised by my characters and their actions. Sure, I had to play with reality a little (it turns out legs from which feet have been amputated take AGES to get to the point where they can be used again), but I like where it ended up.

Today I read the delightful news that Leonardo DiCaprio is going to be giving his voice to an animated film - hurrah! I don't know too much about it yet, but it's going to be called The Guardians and he's playing Jack Frost. Oh HELL yes.

As you may have figured out, I'm filling up with the Christmas Spirit (sounds vaguely dirty, but we'll ignore that, shall we?) and all the childlike enthusiasm that comes with it. Sparkly things are like catnip right now, and I find myself richocheting from glittery object to glittery object like a ping pong ball. I'm about halfway through my shopping, and surprisingly optimistic about getting it all done in time!

What else...?

Oh yes, I've been coming across a lot of blogs lately summing up the "noughties" with regard to film. So instead of rolling my eyes at the inclusion of yet ANOTHER Pedro Amaldovar movie, I thought I'd give it a go...of course I'm going to have to actually come up with something...fifty? Have I seen that many movies this decade? Probably.

At any rate - coming soon!