My most awaited movies for 2013

Earlier today I posted a similar entry, in Portuguese. That list included movies that have already been released, but have not yet opened commercially in Brazil. For the English version, I will not include such movies, which takes out Silver Linings Playbook, Hitchcock, The Master and Django Unchained (even though none of them have opened in Australia either, which leaves me thinking studios have something against countries I live or lived in). Well, let’s get to the list, then.

10. The Bling Ring (Sofia Coppola) – I am a fan of Sofia’s work, and there is not one of her movies that I disliked. Nothing indicates that that will change with The Bling Ring.

09. Zero Dark Thirty (Kathryn Bigelow) – Pretty simple, I want to find out if Bigelow can pull of something as good and precisely spot-on as The Hurt Locker. Here’s to hoping she succeeds!

08. Much Ado About Nothing (Joss Whedon) – Yeah, Whedon is in heaven thanks to the indisputable success of The Avengers. And yeah, it’s a play by Shakespeare. But what makes me really want to watch this movie is that Whedon will once again be working with Amy Acker, Nathan Fillion (who just might be the coolest guy on television these days) and Alexis Denisof, my favourite actor from the whole Buffyverse.

07. The World’s End (Edgar Wright) – Not everyone associates the name with the movies, but Edgar Wright is the director of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. Oh, and also two movies where he worked with actors Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, who join him again for The World’s End. Which movies am I talking about, you ask? Well, let me tell you, my friend who needs more laughter in your life: Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, nothing less than two of the funniest comedies in years!

06. Pacific Rim (Guillermo del Toro) – At first, the story didn’t really interest me that much. And I didn’t fall in love with the trailer. But when I think that this is basically Jaspion directed by del Toro, I can’t help but wish that this turns out to be fantastic.

05. World War Z (Marc Forster) – I’m not really a fan of Forster, but… Zombies! And what’s more: Brad Pitt fighting zombies! Oh, and the trailer is great.

04. Star Trek Into Darkness (J.J. Abrams) – 2009′s Star Trek competes all the way with Casino Royale as the most intelligent reimaginings of well-established franchises. Just for that, and because the team in charge of the sequel is essentially the same, one could already get high hopes for this one. Then the trailers came and expectations rose. And then I got the chance to watch the prologue in 3D in the big screen, and this has become one of my most expected blockbusters for the year. To read what I wrote about the prologue, click here.

03. Before Midnight (Richard Linklater) – Whoever has watched Before Sunrise and Before Sunset doesn’t need to wonder why this one is here. Whoever hasn’t, stop what you’re doing and watch them.

02. To the Wonder (Terrence Malick) – From here will come the most criticism about this list, but I consider The Tree of Life to be one of the best movies in the history of cinema. And Malick has also presented us with nothing less than The New World and The Thin Red Line. If To the Wonder were a documentary about grass growing, it would still make the list. And the only reason why it’s not on top is because it’s competing with…

01. Man of Steel (Zack Snyder) – Superman is my favourite fictional character. Out of all. Of course, the experience of living through the expectation for Superman Returns to see it fall short left scars – and I even like Returns, there are some fantastic scenes there. But the box office results were so bad they buried the rebirth of the franchise. Until the project for Man of Steel came along. The cast seemed promising. The presence of Christopher Nolan gave some fans a nearly sexual arousal. The director being Zack Snyder stirred some controversy, but I like his style. And then came the teaser trailers, with the same images but different narrations. And what images! The cinematography is beautiful! Then came the full trailer, and any doubts left from Superman Returns vanished. I now believe that Man of Steel can be the Superman movie I always wanted to see. I’ll have to wait six months to find out, and it will be a cruel wait.

2500+ movies

A while back, I wrote an entry called “Countdown to 2500 movies”. Back then, the list of movies I’ve seen was about to reach 2500 entries. Since I hadn’t been writing here, the 2500 came and went. But now I’m back, and because I know that some movie buffs like statistics and lists as much as I do, I will share some data about the movies I’ve seen.

To kick off, the distribution of movies by decade:

Decade	Number of movies	Percentage over the total
1880	2	0.08
1890	8	0.32
1900	8	0.32
1910	17	0.67
1920	47	1.85
1930	67	2.64
1940	65	2.56
1950	78	3.07
1960	83	3.27
1970	85	3.35
1980	267	10.52
1990	671	26.43
2000	981	38.64
2010	160	6.30
Total	2539	100

The older movies on the list include the earliest and most rudimentary attempts at presenting moving images, among them Sallie Gardner at a Gallop (also known as A Horse in Motion), first exhibition of moving images, and Roundhay Garden Scene, first actual recording on film. The most recent movie I’ve seen is Here Comes the Boom, which opened recently here in Australia.

A source I often check is the extended version of the books “1001 Movies to Watch Before You Die”. By extended list, I mean the group of all the movies that were added to each new edition of the book, without discarding the ones they excluded in order to keep the 1001. This list counts 1079 films, out of which I’ve seen 381, equivalent to 35.31%.

From the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)’s ”Top 250″, I’ve watched 224. Among the winners for the Academy Award for best movie, I’ve seen 60 out of 84 (71.43%). From the 100 biggest box office releases worldwide, I count 79. What’s interesting is that, out of the 21 I haven’t seen, almost all of them are sequels (particularly third or fourth installments of worn-out franchises) and the Twilight Saga (I have seen none, and have no particular desire to).

What really drags me dows is the list from the British Film Institute (BFI). Out of the 250 films in question, I’ve watched no more than 102 (40.80%). Among the first 80 movies, I was getting a good average, because their list focuses on those movies which usually show up in best of compilations, and which – by extension – are known to most cinephiles. From there on, a lot stayed out of my list.

Well, there you go. Whoever likes statistics can have some fun (and probably compare this to their own numbers).

Countdown to 2500 movies

Hello, readers!

For many years now, I’ve been keeping a list of movies I watch. To do so, I use IMDb. I first came to know the site in 1998, created an account and rated a few movies. I came back to it on and off until 2004, when I decided to start maintaining a serious and updated list of movies. I added every movie I could remember watching. Now, this list is about to reach the number of 2500 films. It is certain that there were movies I watched before that and could not remember, but that’s something that will remain uncountable (every movie since 2004 has been added).

Anyway, the point of this text is to tell you that, to celebrate this nice round number I’m about to conquer, I’ve decided to do something a bit different. I made a list of movies I’m interested in watching and posted it on the Cinema em Cena message board, and then asked my fellow users to suggest which movies on that list I should prioritise. It was not a mathematical voting, each person nominated as many movies as they wanted, with or without putting them in order of preference. I would watch the movies based on how many times they were nominated and how enthusiasticaly.

The list is the following:

50% (50/50, 2011)
8 e Meio (8 1/2, 1963)
À Beira do Abismo (The Big Sleep, 1946)
Amor à Flor da Pele (In the Mood for Love, 2000)
Anjos da Lei (21 Jump Street, 2012)
Bonnie & Clyde – Uma Rajada de Balas (Bonnie and Clyde, 1967)
O Castelo no Céu (Laputa – Castle in the Sky, 1986)
Champagne (1928)
Como Era Verde o Meu Vale (How Green Was My Valley, 1941)
The Dead (2010)
DeadHeads (2011)
Doce Vingança (I Spit on Your Grave, 2010)
Dominados pelo Ódio (Mother’s Day, 2010)
Downhill (1927)
E Sua Mãe Também (And Your Mother Too, 2001)
Easy Virtue (1928)
Ed Wood (1994)
Era Uma Vez em Tóquio (Tokyo Story, 1953)
O Espião que Sabia Demais (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, 2011)
O Franco-Atirador (The Deer Hunter, 1978)
Fuga do Passado (Out of the Past, 1947)
Geração Roubada (Rabbit-Proof Fence, 2002)
O Grande Lebowski (The Big Lebowski, 1998)
Greed (1924)
O Guarda (The Guard, 2011)
O Homem Elefante (The Elephant Man, 1980)
Intocáveis (Intouchables, 2011)
J. Edgar (2011)
Jejum de Amor (His Girl Friday, 1940)
Jogos Vorazes (The Hunger Games, 2012)
Juno and the Paycock (1930)
Magnólia (1999)
The Manxman (1929)
Marnie – Confissões de uma Ladra (Marnie, 1964)
O Mistério do Número 17 (The Number Seventeen, 1932)
Moonrise Kingdom (2012)
A Mulher do Fazendeiro (The Farmer’s Wife, 1928)
Na Natureza Selvagem (Into the Wild, 2007)
No Mundo de 2020 (Soylent Green, 1973)
Onibaba – A Mulher Demônio (The Demon, 1964)
Pai e Filha (Late Spring, 1949)
Papillon (1973)
Patton (1970)
Persona (1966)
Por uns Dólares a Mais (For a Few Dollars More, 1965)
Rede de Intrigas (The Network, 1976)
The Revenant (2009)
Rich and Strange (1931)
O Ringue (The Ring, 1927)
Os Sapatinhos Vermelhos (The Red Shoes, 1948)
Se Meu Apartamento Falasse (The Apartment, 1960)
A Separação (A Separation, 2011)
Sete Dias com Marilyn (My Week With Marilyn, 2011)
Shame (2011)
Simon Verner Desapareceu (Lights Out, 2010)
The Skin Game (1931)
Também Fomos Felizes (Early Summer, 1951)
Testemunha de Acusação (Witness for the Prosecution, 1957)
Touro Indomável (Raging Bull, 1980)
Trainspotting (1996)
Tucker e Dale contra o Mal (Tucker and Dale versus Evil, 2010)
A Turba (The Crowd, 1928)
A Última Gargalhada (The Last Laugh, 1924)
Vento e Areia (The Wind, 1928)
Yojimbo – O Guarda-Costas (Yojimbo, 1961)

The movies in bold are the ones I have already seen. And I can say that, so far, both my list and the preferences of my peers are right on target. As a matter of fact, out of all the films in question, only The Deer Hunter has disapointed me. At this point, I’m only four movies away from the goal. Wish me luck with these four.

The 007 best James Bond theme songs

In case you don’t know, there’s a new James Bond movie coming out. Skyfall, Bond’s 23rd movie within the official series, comes to theaters on October 26. Recently, the theme song for this new movie hit Youtube. Voiced by Adele, the track carries the movie’s title, as is common in the series. To celebrate the new movie, here’s my list of the seven best theme songs from Bond movies. Heads up, I didn’t consider things like having a “Bond feel” or matching the equivalent movie. It’s just the songs in the order I like them better.

007. Tomorrow Never Dies – Sheryl Crow

With a strong opening and cool arrangements, Sheryl Crow’s theme is easily the best thing about this sad, sad movie.

006. Nobody Does It Better – Carly Simon

Carly carries this tune with a lot of dexterity, making it one of the most notable, in terms of vocal performance.

005. The World Is Not Enough – Garbage

Bond movies have embraced the music of their time (what with “dancy” tunes in the 1980′s, for example), and in the 1990′s they went for some soft alternative rock (before descending into pop music hell with Madonna’s disastrous Die Another Day). Sheryl Crow’s previously mentioned song was one example, and Garbage’s The World Is Not Enough is the other. And it’s even better. There’s more power, both in the arrangements and in Shirley Manson’s vocals.

004. Skyfall – Adele

The string of Craig movies is a new paradigm for the good ol’ 007. And this new era deserves a diva performance in a remarkable track – as Goldfinger was to the classic Bond flicks. Adele pulled it off. Skyfall is magnetic, enticing, a true knock-out.

003. You Know My Name – Chris Cornell

Talking about a new beginning for the series of movies, how do you translate that into the music? You send the conventions away and come up with something nearly unparalleled in the Bond universe. You Know My Name is an angry, crude song that transpires energy. Musically and lyrics-wise, it is a statement.

002. Goldfinger – Shirley Bassey

I don’t think anyone would imagine a list like this without Shirley Bassey. Goldfinger is possibly the theme most closely identified with Bond, not counting the Bond Theme that started in Dr. No and has been a trademark ever since. Bassey set a standard (and the bar pretty high) for many movies and performers to come – just check the list of Bond themes and you’ll see how many tried to trail the same path (and fell short, even in the case of Bassey herself, with Moonraker and Diamonds Are Forever).

001. Live and Let Die – Paul McCartney and the Wings

Well, anyone who knows this blogger should have seen this one coming. I love Paul McCartney and I love this song. It has it all, lots of energy, great lyrics, an amazing chorus. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Macca sing this one live, and it was brilliant – it holds its own even in a set list majorly composed of Beatles songs. Do you need any other reason?

The 14 Worst Movies Adapted from Comic Books

A bit over a year ago, I posted a list (in Portuguese) of some of my favorite movies based on comic books. The reason for that list to exist in the first place was a movie festival we organised among users of the Cinema em Cena message board. During this event, many movies were mentioned – for good or for bad – by participants. I realised that all of the famous ones were familiar to me – I’d seen every Superman, Spiderman, Batman and X-Men one, as well as A History of Violence, Sin City, 300… What was left were the ones that got split reviews – and the ones which got outright bad reviews all around. Anyway, following my curiosity, I set out to watch a batch of these movies I had neglected. Some were actually pleasant surprises; among those are RED, Surrogates, Hellboy 2 and The Green Hornet. Many of the ones that promised to be really bad, though, turned out to be really bad. That inspired me to compile this list. Enjoy (especially if you haven’t wasted your time watching them).

14. Steel (Kenneth Johnson, 1997) – it’s not so much that there is a non-actor starring in this one. Shaquille O’Neal is a cool dude, and I could easily cut him some slack. Having a director with a 40-year long career and nothing relevant to show for it is probably more telling as to why this movie sucks. There is a bit of good action here and there, almost by accident, and the character, in itself, is good, but none of that saves Steel from being quite bad.

13. Blade: Trinity (David S. Goyer, 2004) – contrary to Steel, Blade: Trinity fell in the hands of someone with something to show for – at least as a writer, Goyer can be proud to have on his resume movies such as Dark City, The Dark Knight trilogy and the first two Blades, of which I’m actually quite fond. When it came to directing, though, he failed miserably. Trinity is a mess of nonsensical plot, messy action and shameful acting (with Snipes being the only one who barely escapes sucking – no pun intended).

12. Elektra (Rob Bowman, 2005) – This movie shouldn’t have existed. Daredevil did badly in the box office and got mostly bad reviews. But studios want to lure in female audiences who wish to see strong ladies kick some ass, instead of being pieces of ass for the male heroes to get as prizes. Only, studios are notorious for falling short on depicting female superheroes. Elektra maintained the rule. The story is ridiculous, and Jennifer Garner doesn’t hold up. In the end, we go back to the beginning to state one more time: this movie shouldn’t have existed.

11. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze (Michael Pressman, 1991) – unlike the other entries so far, this one tries to be funny. Not taking itself seriously might have worked. Only it’s not funny. At all. It’s just very bad.

10. Howard the Duck (Willard Huyck, 1986) – maybe I’m wrong, and this insane story is actually the most secretly brilliant piece of film ever. Let’s check some of the dialogue: “That’s it, no more Mr. Nice Duck”; “Desperate ducks commit desperate acts”; “No one laughs at a master of Quack-Fu”. Yep, brilliant.

09. Mortadelo & Filemon: The Big Adventure (La gran aventura de Mortadelo y Filemón, Javier Fesser, 2003) – I remember laughing out loud to comic books of Mortadelo & Filemon in my youth. Hell, I sometimes smile just by remembering the jokes (the one when they hit an alligator in the head with a rock is totally brilliant, and I’m laughing in front of the computer right now). Then there’s this movie which fails at everything, particularly at being funny. I’m not laughing anymore.

08. Supergirl (Jeannot Szwarc, 1984) – see Elektra above, and replace Daredevil with Superman III – with the difference that, whereas Daredevil might not be so bad, Superman III is certainly bad. Oh, and this is somehow sillier than Elektra.

07. The Spirit (Frank Miller, 2008) – “Hey, Sin City was a hit, right? What else can we film along those lines? How about ‘The Spirit’? And let’s just get Frank Miller to direct it all by himself. What could possibly go wrong?” Everything, it turns out.

06. Jonah Hex (Jimmy Hayward, 2010) – Josh Brolin, Michael Shannon, Michael Fassbender and even John Malkovich, and still all you can do is hope that this movie ends soon. Jonah Hex proves something needed absolutely no proof: being an animator does not mean you’re a good director.

05. Dylan Dog: Dead of Night (Kevin Munroe, 2010) – this one doesn’t even have a worthy cast trying to save it. It’s just bad jokes, lame dialogue and a pitiful attempt at cool editing.

04. Batman & Robin (Joel Schumacher, 1997) – why anyone would let Joel Schumacher direct a Batman movie after Batman Forever is beyond me. This is one two-hour-long video clip for the gay community. Which wouldn’t be so bad (although frankly disappointing for Batman hardcore fans), if it weren’t such a terrible video clip anyway. It would be possible to make a top 10 list of the worst ideas that somehow made it past everyone involved in the production and ended up in the final version of the movie. Among the items on the list would be Mr. Freeze’s terrible puns and, of course, the Bat-credit-card.

03. Ghost Rider (Mark Steven Johnson, 2007) – seriously, Eva Mendes, I like your acting, but stop making superhero movies (although “hero” is used loosely here). You’re bad luck. Kidding, there’s no bad luck here, just a bunch of terrible ideas. Someone tried to make a movie that would have teenage boys going “awesome!” and ended up with a pile of crap.

02. 30 Days of Night: Dark Days (Ben Ketai, 2010) – what the fuck is this? The plot is beyond stupid, it’s plain outrageous. There’s the “girl against the world”, the silly romance, the traitor, the great villain you don’t even deserve to see until the end (and who dies pretty simply), among other clichés. Every minute of this is torture, and just because you dared hold on until the end, they kick you the head with one last “twist”.

01. Catwoman (Pitof, 2004) – for a moment, I considered joining this one with Elektra. But, although they’re both from around the same time, and they both suffer from the same disease, Catwoman sucks on a much deeper level. What they’re going for is a heroin that is both sexy and fierce. Who has men at her feet, and kicks their asses. What they got is an abomination. Halle Berry cannot be less sexy than she was made to be in this movie (I’m pretty sure scientists have determined that), and part of that is because she was forced to try too hard. It is embarrassing to see her walk and talk and do whatever else she does during the film, and noticing that someone somewhere thought that was going to have men howling in desire. Catwoman is, to this day, the biggest example of how comic book heroines are misunderstood by Hollywood. In fact, in its representation of strong women and how they relate to men, Catwoman manages to be one of those rare occurrences that manage to insult every single person on the planet. If there had been a sequel, they’d have to be offensive to aliens.

A list of movies for Fernanda

Dear readers, I realize I’ve been a bad blogger. Ever since I moved to Australia, I stopped writing, and I apologize for that. But I’m back to talk a little more about cinema. If you’re wondering about the title of this entry, let me tell you: no, I’m not going to make lists for everyone in the world, hahaha. There’s actually a story behind this. Recently, my friend Fernanda and I went to movies to see The Artist. Despite being unfamiliar with silent, black and white films, she loved it – as did I, by the way. And because she knows I’m into weird movies, she asked me for a list of films I thought she’d like. Well, here it is, in chronological order.

City Lights (Charles Chaplin, 1931)

Gone with the Wind (Victor Fleming, 1939)

Brief Encounter (David Lean, 1945)

It’s a Wonderful Life (Frank Capra, 1946)

Bicycle Thieves (Vittorio de Sica, 1948)

Sunset Blvd. (Billy Wilder, 1950)

Singin’ in the Rain (Stanley Donen & Gene Kelly, 1952)

The Searchers (John Ford, 1956)

Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960)

Picnic at Hanging Rock (Peter Weir, 1975)

I set a few criteria for myself: I had to choose at least one silent movie; most of the films had to be really old; at least one Aussie flick had to make the cut; without pushing it, I wanted as many genres as possible. It’s important to notice that these movies aren’t my particular favorites for a director, decade or genre, but I hold all of them in high esteem. So we have Chaplin’s City Lights representing the silent era. Peter Weir’s little-known mystery work Picnic at Hanging Rock is the local one. Europe’s amazing cinema of the 1940s shows up in the form of beautifully sensitive Brief Encounter and the masterpiece Bicycle Thieves. Two movies deal with topics similar to The Artist: Sunset Blvd. and Singin’ in the Rain – in very different forms, they show the consequences of the creation of sound pictures. To complete the list, we have possibly the best historical film ever – Gone with the Wind; one of the most dramatically intense westerns ever – The Searchers; Hitchcock’s ultra-famous Psycho; and possibly the cutest, most fluffy movie ever – Frank Capra’s unforgettable It’s a Wonderful Life.

Will she like the list? Guess we’ll find out.

Prós e Contras Movie Awards 2012

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Until now, every time a year ended, I’d publish the list of movies I’d seen from that year, in order of preference. I’ve decided to do things differently in 2012; I’ll announce my favorites by category, à la Oscars – although not with the exact same categories as the Academy Awards. It’s important to remind you that only movies released commercially in Brazil between January 1^st and December 31^st 2011 are eligible – and by commercially I mean movies shown only in festivals don’t count. People who like that list I used to published shouldn’t worry: it will be found in the end of this text. But before that…

Breakthrough performance *

Elle Fanning – actress, for Somewhere and Super 8
Frankie and George McLaren – actors, for Hereafter
George Nolfi – director, for The Adjustment Bureau
J.C. Chandor – writer, for Margin Call
Jennifer Lawrence – actress, for Winter’s Bone and X-Men: First Class

And the award goes to: Jennifer Lawrence.

Best Makeup

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Incendies
Let Me In
True Grit
X-Men: First Class

And the award goes to: X-Men: First Class.

Best Art Direction

Copie Conforme
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Let Me In
Midnight in Paris
Winter’s Bone

And the award goes to: Midnight in Paris.

Best Costume Design

Black Swan
Bruna Surfistinha
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Midnight in Paris
Sucker Punch

And the award goes to: Midnight in Paris.

Best Visual Effects

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Melancholia
Sucker Punch
Super 8
The Tree of Life

And the award goes to: Melancholia.

Best Sound Effects

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Sucker Punch
Super 8
The Tree of Life
True Grit

And the award goes to: Super 8.

Best Soundtrack **

Hanna
Hereafter
Midnight in Paris
Somewhere
The Tree of Life

And the award goes to: Midnight in Paris.

Best Cinematography

Hereafter
Melancholia
Midnight in Paris
The Tree of Life
Winter’s Bone

And the award goes to: The Tree of Life.

Best Adapted Screenplay

The Adjustment Bureau
In a Better World
Incendies
True Grit
X-Men: First Class

And the award goes to: X-Men: First Class.

Best Original Screenplay

Hereafter
Margin Call
Midnight in Paris
Somewhere
Super 8

And the award goes to: Hereafter.

Best Editing

The Adjustment Bureau
Black Swan
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Melancholia
The Tree of Life

And the award goes to: The Tree of Life.

Best Performance by a Cast

The Adjustment Bureau
The Fighter
Hereafter
In a Better World
Margin Call

And the award goes to: The Fighter.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

Charlotte Gainsbourg – Melancholia
Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulin – Incendies
Melissa Leo – The Fighter
Melissa McCarthy – Bridesmaids
Mila Kunis – Black Swan

And the award goes to: Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulin.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

Christian Bale – The Fighter
John Hawkes – Winter’s Bone
Matt Damon – True Grit
Maxim Gaudette – Incendies
Michael Fassbender – X-Men: First Class

And the award goes to: John Hawkes.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role

Deborah Secco – Bruna Surfistinha
Jennifer Lawrence – Winter’s Bone
Kirsten Dunst – Melancholia
Natalie Portman – Black Swan
Trine Dyrholm – In a Better World

And the award goes to: Natalie Portman.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role

Colin Firth – The King’s Speech
James Franco – 127 Hours
Javier Barden – Biutiful
Mikael Persbrandt – In a Better World
William Shimell – Certified Copy

And the award goes to: Colin Firth.

Best Directing

Clint Eastwood – Hereafter
The Coen Brothers – True Grit
Lars Von Trier – Melancholia
Terrence Malick – The Tree of Life
Woody Allen – Midnight in Paris

And the award goes to: Terrence Malick.

Best Film

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
In a Better World
Melancholia
Midnight in Paris
The Tree of Life

And the big winner is The Tree of Life, best movie of 2011.

In total, 25 different films were nominated. The ones most mentioned were The Tree of Life, Harry Potter, Midnight in Paris and Melancholia, with 7 nominations each. The ones that got the most awards were The Tree of Life (4), Midnight in Paris (3) and X-Men (2). Other eight movies shared the remaining prizes.

Here goes the list of the movies I’ve seen, in order of preference.

01. The Tree of Life (Terrence Malick, 2011)
02. Midnight in Paris (Woody Allen, 2011)
03. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (David Yates, 2011)
04. In a Better World (Haevnen, Susanne Bier, 2010)
05. Melancholia (Lars Von Trier, 2011)
06. X-Men: First Class (Matthew Vaughn, 2011)
07. Black Swan (Darren Aronofski, 2010)
08. The Adjustment Bureau (George Nolfi, 2011)
09. True Grit (Joel & Ethan Coen, 2010)
10. The Fighter (David O. Russel, 2010)
11. Somewhere (Sofia Coppola, 2010)
12. Hereafter (Clint Eastwood, 2010)
13. Incendies (Denis Villeneuve, 2010)
14. Margin Call (J.C. Chandor, 2011)
15. Super 8 ( J.J. Abrams, 2011)
16. Fast Five (Justin Lin, 2011)
17. Bruna Surfistinha (Marcus Baldini, 2011)
18. Let Me In (Matt Reeves, 2010)
19. Hanna (Joe Wright, 2011)
20. 127 Hours (Danny Boyle, 2010)
21. Captain America: The First Avenger (Joe Johnston, 2011)
22. The King’s Speech (Tom Hooper, 2010)
23. Blue Valentine (Derek Cianfrance, 2010)
24. Easy A (Will Gluck, 2010)
25. Certified Copy (Copie conforme, Abbas Kiarostami, 2010)
26. Winter’s Bone (Debra Granik, 2010)
27. Trust (David Schwimmer, 2010)
28. Biutiful (Alejandro Gonzáles Iñárritu, 2010)
29. Sucker Punch (Zack Snyder, 2011)
30. Breaking the Taboo (Quebrando o Tabu, Fernando Grostein Andrade, 2011)
31. Fright Night (Craig Gillespie, 2011)
32. Rise of the Planet of the Apes (Rupert Wyatt, 2011)
33. Rabbit Hole (John Cameron Mitchell, 2010)
34. Unstoppable (Tony Scott, 2010)
35. Friends with Benefits (Will Gluck, 2011)
36. Cowboys & Aliens (Jon Favreau, 2011)
37. Thor (Kenneth Branagh, 2011)
38. The Illusionist (L’illusionniste, Sylvain Chomet, 2010)
39. The Troll Hunter (Trolljegeren, André Ovedral, 2010)
40. Bridesmaids (Paul Feig, 2011)
41. Priest (Scott Charles Stewart, 2011)
42. Contagion (Steven Soderbergh, 2011)
43. Green Lantern (Martin Campbell, 2011)
44. Scream 4 (Wes Craven, 2011)
45. TheSilent House (La casa muda, Gustavo Hernández, 2010)
46. Shark Night 3D (David R. Ellis, 2011)
47. Primal (Josh Reed, 2010)

* The breakthrough performance award doesn’t refer exclusively to artists who had never been in any film before; on the contrary, it may include artists who had never had the opportunity to stand out, but managed to do so when said opportunity was provided. In the category in question, the performance evaluated is the one in the job mentioned – for example, although J.C. Chandor is also the director of Margin Call, he stands out for his job as a writer (and his job as a director didn’t add or subtract from his chance to win).

** Unlike the Oscars, here there is no distinction between soundtrack composed directly for the movie and soundtrack that uses preexisting music. The film that best used music to creat atmosphere and add to the narrative gets awarded.

Best movies of the 2000s – my list

Well, I can’t believe I’m here, at last! After translating all the lists made by voters, this is the last one showing my personal preferences. Don’t worry, I’ll still publish my lists for the 1930s and 1920s, when they’re available, but for now, this is the last piece of work I have on this matter, hehehe. So, let’s see it:

01. Dogville (Lars Von Trier, 2003)

 02. Moulin Rouge! (Baz Luhrmann, 2001)

03. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Michel Gondry, 2004)
04. The Lord of the Rings (Peter Jackson, 2001, 2002, 2003)
05. Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring (Bom yeoreum gaeul gyeoul geurigo bom, Kim Ki-duk, 2003)
06. Before Sunset (Richard Linklater, 2004)
07. Shaun of the Dead (Edgar Wright, 2004)
08. The New World (Terrence Malick, 2005)
09. Gran Torino (Clint Eastwood, 2008)
10. 3-Iron (Bin-jip, Kim Ki-duk, 2004)
11. Sin City (Frank Miller e Robert Rodriguez, 2005)
12. Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (George Lucas, 2005)
13. Big Fish (Tim Burton, 2003)
14. United 93 (Paul Greengrass, 2006)
15. Burn After Reading (Ethan & Joel Coen, 2008)
16. 28 Days Later… (Danny Boyle, 2002)
17. No Country for Old Men (Ethan & Joel Coen, 2007)
18. A History of Violence (David Cronenberg, 2005)
19. Casino Royale (Martin Campbell, 2006)
20. Let the Right One In (Låt den rätte komma in, Tomas Alfredson, 2008)

Like I said before, I am not totally ok with choosing best recent stuff, because there hasn’t been enough time to dwell, put things in perspective. So, obviously, this is my list that’s more likely to change a lot in time. When I created the list I hadn’t watched Inglourious Basterds yet, for example, and it’s sure to take up a spot in reviewed versions. But, once again, since this is the equivalent of the entry in Portuguese from a few months ago, I’ve decided not to change the lists. One day, when I decide to update them, I’ll do it in Portuguese and English at the same time.

Well, my favorite movie of the decade is Dogville. I still remember how hard it hit me the first time I watched it, in a theater some 7 years ago. Then there’s Moulin Rouge!, which is a particularly interesting match to me, being I see my own form of romanticism represented there. I’m also a sucker for the only two movies by Kim Ki-duk which I have seen, they’re both on my top 20. I like the fact that there are all kinds of movies to be enjoyed, sci-fi, horror, action, comedy. That’s great!

Well, that’s it for now. Stay tuned, because the 1930s will be around soon.

Para ler este texto em português, clique aqui.

Lists for other decades:

Best movies of the 1940s
Best movies of the 1940s – my list
Best movies of the 1950s
Best movies of the 1950s – my list
Best movies of the 1960s
Best movies of the 1960s – my list
Best movies of the 1970s
Best movies of the 1970s – my list
Best movies of the 1980s
Best movies of the 1980s – my list
Best movies of the 1990s
Best movies of the 1990s – my list
Best movies of the 2000s 

Best movies of the 2000s

In Portuguese, it all started with this list, quite a while back. Since I started publishing in English only more recently, I changed the order, so we get now to the 2000s, the first decade for which the people on Cinema em Cena message board elected the top 20. Just to remind you of the rules, each user in the message board could make a list containing anything between 10 and 20 movies, in order of preference. The first movie in a list would get 20 points, the second 19, and so on. After gathering all the lists, we added the points and came to the result. As a decision of the majority, movie series such as The Lord of the Rings and Kill Bill were considered a unique movie. And the result is:

1. No Country for Old Men (Ethan & Joel Coen, 2007)

2. Kill Bill (Quentin Tarantino, 2003/2004)

3. Mulholland Drive (David Lynch, 2001)
4. A History of Violence (David Cronenberg, 2005)
5. Before Sunset (Richard Linklater, 2004)
6. Lost in Translation (Sofia Coppola, 2003)
7. Dogville (Lars Von Trier, 2003)
8. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Michel Gondry, 2004)
9. There Will Be Blood (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2007)
10. Ratatouille (Brad Bird, 2007)
11. WALL-E (Andrew Stanton, 2008)
12. The Lord of the Rings (Peter Jackson, 2001, 2002, 2003)
13. Oldboy (Oldeuboi, Chan-wook Park, 2003)
14. The Pianist (Roman Polanski, 2002)
15. My Blueberry Nights (Wong kar-wai, 2007)
16. Gran Torino (Clint Eastwood, 2008)
17. Inglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino, 2009)
18. The New World (Terrence Malick, 2005)
19. Femme Fatale (Brian De Palma, 2002)
20. Memento (Christopher Nolan, 2000)
Match Point (Woody Allen, 2005)
City of God (Cidade de Deus, Fernando Meireles, 2002)

There are more than 20 movies on the list because the last three were tied. We had 31 voters contribute to the making of this list, the largest number of all the decades, which is not at all surprising. Personally speaking, I disagree with the criteria of combining movies into one: I clearly see that as subterfuge, instead of growing a backbone and making a choice. One other objection I have, if I may call it that, is I’m not a big fan of choosing best of among recent stuff; people are still too impressed by novelty and temporary excitement. But then again, that’s part of the process of choosing.

About the list, I’ve seen all of the 22 movies. I’d take down There Will Be Blood, OldBoy, Femme Fatale and My Blueberry Nights; not that they’re actually bad, I just don’t think they’re worthy of being in such a list. It’s interesting to notice that there were two animations in the final list, Ratatouille making top 10, followed closely by WALL-E – which, even though I really like, didn’t make my list. Overall, I’d say the result was pretty good. It’s unfortunate that Moulin Rouge!, one of the movies I love, didn’t make, but you can’t have it all, can you? At least Dogville, my number one, managed to outlive some people’s disapproval.

I wonder what it’ll be like making another list for the first decade of the 21^st century in the future, after the dust settles. How many of these movies will still be there? We just have to wait and see.

Para ler este texto em português, clique aqui.

Lists for other decades:

Best movies of the 1940s
Best movies of the 1940s – my list
Best movies of the 1950s
Best movies of the 1950s – my list
Best movies of the 1960s
Best movies of the 1960s – my list
Best movies of the 1970s
Best movies of the 1970s – my list
Best movies of the 1980s
Best movies of the 1980s – my list
Best movies of the 1990s
Best movies of the 1990s – my list
Best movies of the 2000s – my list

Best movies of the 1990s

And here we go for one more decade of great movies. This is the result of the voting by users of the Cinema em Cena message board to determine the best movies of the 1990s. Let’s check it out:

01. Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino, 1994)
02. The Thin Red Line( Terrence Malick, 1998)
03. Goodfellas (Martin Scorsese, 1990)
04. Unforgiven (Clint Eastwood, 1992)
05. The Silence of the Lambs (Jonathan Demme, 1991)
06. Reservoir Dogs (Quentin Tarantino, 1992)
07. Se7en (David Fincher, 1995)
08. Eyes Wide Shut (Stanley Kubrick, 1999)
09. The Sixth Sense (M. Night Shyamalan, 1999)
10. Magnolia (Paul Thomas Anderson, 1999)
11. The Lion King (Roger Allers e Rob Minkoff, 1994)
12. Fargo (Joel Coen, 1996)
13. The Bridges of Madison County (Clint Eastwood, 1995)
14. Barton Fink (Joel Coen, 1991)
15. The Matrix (Andy & Lana Wachowski, 1999)
16. Short Cuts (Robert Altman, 1993)
17. Fight Club (David Fincher, 1999)
18. The Big Lebowski (Joel Coen, 1998)
19. Carlito’s Way (Brian de Palma, 1993)
20. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (James Cameron, 1991)

For this decade, we had 24 voters. There were some complaints about the presence of The Lion King (my favorite from the decade in question). That’s interesting because, the way I see it, The Lion King and The Matrix were the only two exceptions to the most remarkable characteristic of the list: the clinging to directors. All of the other movies present the advantage of having a respected director’s name behind it, which makes them kind of safe choices. Well, at least that was the case at the time. Nowadays, Shyamalan has lost much of the respect he’d achieved. On the bright side, The Thin Red Line in second place is great, that’s a very underestimated movie. The ones I haven’t watched yet are: Magnolia, Barton Fink, Short Cuts, The Big Lebowski and Carlito’s Way.

Best movies of the 1940s
Best movies of the 1940s – my list
Best movies of the 1950s
Best movies of the 1950s – my list
Best movies of the 1960s
Best movies of the 1960s – my list
Best movies of the 1970s
Best movies of the 1970s – my list
Best movies of the 1980s
Best movies of the 1980s – my list
Best movies of the 1990s – my list
Best movies of the 2000s
Best movies of the 2000s – my list