The Criterion Collection

[MifuneFan]

This is all silly anyway. We all know the greatest action movie of the century is actually Uncharted 2

HOT PS3 Ad campaign "It Only Does Everything" - UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves - YouTube

[javy]

Originally Posted by CQD84

I love how a lot of people take lists seriously. It's all subjective. Who cares if they list one film over another? Who cares if they list a comedy? Who cares if you don't think a film or two deserves to be on the list? Getting upset over that sort of thing would be like if someone gets mad over a grocery list. "Oh, you like Jack's frozen pizza over Tombstone? Please toss this in the trash. My taste in frozen pizzas is better than yours. Your list is a joke."

Right. There's 25 films listed and I would only choose There Will Be Blood and Eternal Sunshine.

Definately Jack's pepperoni on that grocery list

[MassiveMovieBuff]

Its absolutely no contest whatsoever that the John Wick films blow Fury Road out of the water. I hated Fury Road though too. I know everyone has their own opinions but frankly I'd say its silly to even compare Fury Road to John Wick. The amount of effort that went into the action and style in the John Wick films is incredible. I was thinking it was which CG action films were better than Fury Road but if its action films in general for the past 7 years there's plenty of others. Skyfall and even Spectre blow Fury Road away. There's others as well. Captain America Winter Soldier is another one. I'd have to check my collection for other examples.

Deadpool and Jack Reacher are far better as well.

[Cremildo]

Originally Posted by MassiveMovieBuff

Its absolutely no contest whatsoever that the John Wick films blow Fury Road out of the water. I hated Fury Road though too. I know everyone has there own opinions but frankly I'd say its silly to even compare Fury Road to John Wick.

I agree.

Fury Road shows more artistry in any given frame than does John Wick.

[javy]

John Wick is bad ass, obviously. I still haven't seen Fury Road.

[Bates_Motel]

Originally Posted by cakefactory

With this discussion of recent movies and Mad Max FR, I thought people were talking about this new list of "25 best movies of the 21st century so far" from the New York Times. It's mostly foreign, small-scale films, but definitely has Mad Max Fury Road on it (as well it should!!).

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/...tury.html?_r=5

I THINK this is beyond their paywall, but I'm not sure. If so, for non-subscribers, I highly advise using one of your 10 free articles a month on it, as it has a ton of good material, but here is the actual list for those who don't have a subscription and already used up their 10 articles. It's not in any particular order.

There Will Be Blood
Spirited Away
Million Dollar Baby
A Touch of Sin (2013)
The Death of Mr. Lazarescu
Yi Yi
Inside Out
Boyhood
Summer Hours (2009)
The Hurt Locker
Inside Llewyn Davis
Timbuktu (2015)
In Jackson Heights
L'Enfant (2006)
White Material
Munich (the justification on this one is interesting)
Three Times (2006)
The Gleaners and I
Mad Max Fury Road
Moonlight
Wendy and Lucy
I'm Not There (2007)
Silent Light (2008)
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
The 40-Year-Old Virgin

The justifications/discussion on all of these is pretty lengthy and interesting. Obviously, they were trying to cover some genres that probably would have been excluded otherwise, hence the action, animated, and comedy films in there.

Considering that most every other list would have Mulholland Drive and City of God included (and many have Children of Men), its a bad list anyway.

[cakefactory]

Originally Posted by MassiveMovieBuff

Skyfall and even Spectre blow Fury Road away. There's others as well. Captain America Winter Soldier is another one. I'd have to check my collection for other examples.

Deadpool and Jack Reacher are far better as well.

Oh dear.

Anyway, arguing about these lists is FUN for some of us. Of course it's as pointless as arguing about frozen pizza. Which would also be a fun topic for a different forum! I just figured it was a good topic for this thread considering the inclusion of a lot of Criterion sort of movies in addition to the mainstream ones.

[Helikaon]

Holy hell. People are saying John Wick and Spectre(?!) are better than Fury Road?

[javy]

Originally Posted by AaronJ

Any list like this is totally dependent upon what one's criteria are. For me, the list-maker needs to decide between three approaches (to my mind anyhow).

1. Films that are going to be the most influencel and remembered decades from now.

2. Films that the list-maker thinks of the most well-executed and provocative ones.

3. Films that produced the most enjoyment.


Then, of course, there's some sort of combination. Of the three. For example, if I were working on #3, Mean Girls would make my list. But it wouldn't if I working within the first 2. Hunger would make #2, possibly #1, but would never make #3 -- watching that is about as much fun as nailing one's scrotum to the floor.

And on and on. That's why they're fairly impossible to do. For me at least.

I would have Traffic and Punch Drunk Love on my list. Are they in agreement with approach 1? They certainly are for me. It would be extremely tough for me to do a top 25 anyway. There's so many good ones out there. I could do a 50.

[cakefactory]

Originally Posted by Helikaon

Holy hell. People are saying John Wick and Spectre(?!) are better than Fury Road?

That's one of those posts you just have to bite your tongue and walk away from quietly.

[AaronJ]

Originally Posted by javy

I would have Traffic and Punch Drunk Love on my list. Are they in agreement with approach 1? They certainly are for me. It would be extremely tough for me to do a top 25 anyway. There's so many good ones out there. I could do a 50.

Man, those are both so good. But it sorts me laugh, since I start thinking that's a darn good thing that Boogie Nights, Magnolia, and Hard Eight were all from the late '90s, or our -- or mine, at least -- lists would start resembling a "Best Paul Thomas Anderson Movies" as opposed to the actual subject.

Man, that guy's made some excellent films.

Originally Posted by cakefactory

That's one of those posts you just have to bite your tongue and walk away from quietly.

Well, the people who actually like FR do, anyways.

[DaBargainHunta]

My thoughts on the list. I'll comment on the movies I've actually seen, and then go into a few I plan on seeing eventually.

Seen

Million Dollar Baby: I don't understand why this is such a controversial and polarizing choice. It's one of the most powerful and emotional cinematic experiences I've ever had. Granted, I went into it knowing almost nothing. I thought it was going to be a big budget version of Girlfight or something like that. I was expecting yet another sports/boxing movie. I was not prepared for

[Show spoiler]the sucker-punch that was the entire second half of the film.

Boyhood: I'll be honest: I respect and admire this film, but I'm not sure I love it. It's an incredible achievement, to be sure, but something about it didn't quite connect with me emotionally the way I hoped it would - the way the Before Trilogy does.

The Hurt Locker: A fantastic experience, a thrill, and more than worthy of Best Picture than the paint-by-numbers (but still fun) Avatar, which is entirely forgotten today. True, this is also entirely forgotten, but it's a gem of a film.

Munich: Another superb and thrilling experience, and a deeply personal film for Spielberg. I will never understand criticisms that it's somehow anti-Jewish. Really?! You're going to say that about the director of Schindler's List??? If his so-called golden age began in the '70s and ended with Saving Private Ryan, this might be his best film since then.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: Such a great idea, and perfectly executed. Jim Carrey's finest hour as an actor? Original, bold, breathtaking.

The 40-Year-Old Virgin: I enjoyed the hell out of this. So did most everyone else. I can buy its inclusion. It launched the career of a half-dozen actors, including Steve Carell, which I believe was pointed out in the article itself.

Will See Eventually

Spirited Away
Inside Llewyn Davis
Mad Max Fury Road
Moonlight

I own 3 of the 4 in some form, and Moonlight is currently streaming on Prime, so I'll watch it soon.

I was tempted to add There Will Be Blood to this list, but if I haven't seen it by now, will I ever?

[javy]

Originally Posted by AaronJ

Man, those are both so good. But it sorts me laugh, since I start thinking that's a darn good thing that Boogie Nights, Magnolia, and Hard Eight were all from the late '90s, or our -- or mine, at least -- lists would start resembling a "Best Paul Thomas Anderson Movies" as opposed to the actual subject.

Man, that guy's made some excellent films.

Yes, one of my favorite film makers, though I've never seen seen Hard Eight . Yes I'm ashamed, especially since I grew up in the nineties.

[AaronJ]

Originally Posted by DaBargainHunta

My thoughts on the list. I'll comment on the movies I've actually seen, and then go into a few I plan on seeing eventually.

Seen

Million Dollar Baby: I don't understand why this is such a controversial and polarizing choice. It's one of the most powerful and emotional cinematic experiences I've ever had. Granted, I went into it knowing almost nothing. I thought it was going to be a big budget version of Girlfight or something like that. I was expecting yet another sports/boxing movie. I was not prepared for

[Show spoiler]the sucker-punch that was the entire second half of the film.

[Show spoiler]

Boyhood: I'll be honest: I respect and admire this film, but I'm not sure I love it. It's an incredible achievement, to be sure, but something about it didn't quite connect with me emotionally the way I hoped it would - the way the Before Trilogy does.

The Hurt Locker: A fantastic experience, a thrill, and more than worthy of Best Picture than the paint-by-numbers (but still fun) Avatar, which is entirely forgotten today. True, this is also entirely forgotten, but it's a gem of a film.

Munich: Another superb and thrilling experience, and a deeply personal film for Spielberg. I will never understand criticisms that it's somehow anti-Jewish. Really?! You're going to say that about the director of Schindler's List??? If his so-called golden age began in the '70s and ended with Saving Private Ryan, this might be his best film since then.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: Such a great idea, and perfectly executed. Jim Carrey's finest hour as an actor? Original, bold, breathtaking.

The 40-Year-Old Virgin: I enjoyed the hell out of this. So did most everyone else. I can buy its inclusion. It launched the career of a half-dozen actors, including Steve Carell, which I believe was pointed out in the article itself.

Will See Eventually

Spirited Away
Inside Llewyn Davis
Mad Max Fury Road
Moonlight

I own 3 of the 4 in some form, and Moonlight is currently streaming on Prime, so I'll watch it soon.

I was tempted to add There Will Be Blood to this list, but if I haven't seen it by now, will I ever?

Yeah, I'm in the same place you are concerning MDB.

[Show spoiler]I was crying at the end, hard. And that had much more to do with the execution of both the direction, but also of the three main performances. Everyone is in an untenable position. It's awful.

Basically agree with almost everything else you wrote, except for The Will Be Blood: If you haven't seen it by now, CHANGE THAT!!!

[AaronJ]

Originally Posted by javy

Yes, one of my favorite film makers, though I've never seen seen Hard Eight . Yes I'm ashamed, especially since I grew up in the nineties.

The sad thing about Hard Eight is because it isn't on Blu-ray, and I can't remember the last time I saw it on one of the channels flipping around, a LOT of people are just forgetting it.

Not to mention that there so many people these days who are too young to even have known it in the first place. It's 21 years old now!

It's one of my most wanted films from Criterion.

[javy]

Originally Posted by DaBargainHunta

I was tempted to add There Will Be Blood to this list, but if I haven't seen it by now, will I ever?

"I am a false prophet. God is a superstition."

There Will Be Blood is epic.

[cakefactory]

Originally Posted by AaronJ

Well, the people who actually like FR do, anyways.

Nah, anyone who's seen Spectre that isn't that guy would have to. :P

I also really like Million Dollar Baby. I get where the haters are coming from, but it still works like gangbusters on me - the three leads are great, even if I think Hillary Swank was miscast (she's a stick even by actress standards). And people forget how much the right wing got enraged by it at the time of Terri Schiavo. It was not a "safe" movie when it came out. It seems to have gained a reputation over the last decade as some kind of bland Oscar bait.

[MassiveMovieBuff]

Originally Posted by AaronJ

Man, those are both so good. But it sorts me laugh, since I start thinking that's a darn good thing that Boogie Nights, Magnolia, and Hard Eight were all from the late '90s, or our -- or mine, at least -- lists would start resembling a "Best Paul Thomas Anderson Movies" as opposed to the actual subject.

Man, that guy's made some excellent films.



Well, the people who actually like FR do, anyways.

Touche

[javy]

Originally Posted by AaronJ

The sad thing about Hard Eight is because it isn't on Blu-ray, and I can't remember the last time I saw it on one of the channels flipping around, a LOT of people are just forgetting it.

Not to mention that there so many people these days who are too young to even have known it in the first place. It's 21 years old now!

It's one of my most wanted films from Criterion.

I'm gonna get the DVD.

[AaronJ]

Originally Posted by cakefactory

Nah, anyone who's seen Spectre that isn't that guy would have to. :P

[Show spoiler]I also really like Million Dollar Baby. I get where the haters are coming from, but it still works like gangbusters on me - the three leads are great, even if I think Hillary Swank was miscast (she's a stick even by actress standards). And people forget how much the right wing got enraged by it at the time of Terri Schiavo. It was not a "safe" movie when it came out. It seems to have gained a reputation over the last decade as some kind of bland Oscar bait

.

Originally Posted by MassiveMovieBuff

Touche

LOL! Good point.

Originally Posted by javy

I'm gonna get the DVD.

Excellent idea. I've sorta/kinda been waiting for a L-O-N-G time for Criterion (or someone who will do it justice) to come out with it. I don't know much patience I have left though, really.