Our Top 10's of 2003: Time To Throw Down! - Page 5

Edwin Pereyra · 02-02-2004, 12:53 PM

Yes, Dana, great job! Your efforts are appreciated.

~Edwin

GregGS · 02-02-2004, 01:29 PM

1. American Splendor (****)
2. Big Fish (****)
3. Whale Rider (****)
4. Spellbound (***1/2)
5. Kill Bill I (***1/2)
6. Return of the King (***1/2)
7. The Station Agent (***)
8. Lost in Translation (***)
9. Mystic River (***)
10. 21 Grams (***)

Elizabeth S · 02-02-2004, 07:11 PM

Great job, Dana -- very interesting!

(I've actually seen more 2003 films if I include those seen on DVD; however, my 2003 list only includes those seen theatrically. I DID, however, include "Spider" in my Top 10, the only film viewed on DVD in my Top 10. )

Seth Paxton · 02-02-2004, 09:29 PM

You know me Dana, I love a good list, and I love it even more when some other dumb SOB is doing the work.

Last Samurai is another Gladiator for me, its doing much better with other people than me, though TLS is doing worse than Glad. both with myself and everyone else. I thought TLS was mediocre summer popcorn.

Kill Bill was the other film that I thought was more style than substance. There it sits at #2 feeling a little bit like a film that would dominate a male film-geek centric HTF poll, yet we do have a great mix of film lovers involved so I'm actually reluctant to make such an assumption...even if it would explain why I'm not so alone with the 2 Matrix films making the HTF top 30 just like they did my list. I'll put it down as good taste and that I just didn't get Kill Bill rather than that its a bunch of film fanboys around here.

I'm really pleased to see X2 where its at. I thought it was an outstanding action/adventure film whose plot contained a lot more depth than would normally be required without forgetting that the action sequences were where its bread was going to be buttered.

Dana Fillhart · 02-02-2004, 10:02 PM

Seth,

<DeNiro mode>You talkin' to me? Well, I'm the only here. Who do you think you're talkin' to?</DeNiro mode>

I agree with you on Kill Bill's status on the list (I put it much lower on my list than most here did), but I do think those who rate it high really DO feel it's worthy of that rating, and not just putting it there because they're Tarantino groupies or trying to make a statement on art. My friend Dave thinks KB was the best film of the year ("If it weren't for Return of the King, that is," he then says as a caveat

)

I also agree about X2. I can also say the same about Finding Nemo and Pirates of the Caribbean (though I'm really hoping for PotC to grab like #8 or so and knock out Irreversible, another film like KB that I just couldn't rate highly). I'm hoping that Whale Rider goes up in the list before it's all over -- I'd like to see that one get within the top 15 (I think it's a beautiful gem, as much as those who feel Lost in Translation is...and I think Keisha deserves the Oscar ("If it weren't for Charlize Theron," I sez as a caveat

)

Elizabeth, please DO add your DVD-viewed films to your 2003 Film List (if they're 2003 releases, of course); just single them out in a different section or something, and I'll add them to your list in my database and your numbers will increase by your name (which will help a little on the FWT column for those films you ranked in your top 10).

Everyone else, thanks again for the compliments; you're making me blush :b

Another update will come later this week. Stay tuned...

Dana Fillhart · 02-02-2004, 10:11 PM

Oh, by the way...

Here's the link to last year's Top 30 of our Top 10; the last post I made was in March, right around the Oscars. Sure is fun to make comparisons to last year. Looks like there's a much greater consensus on this year's #1 than last year. Interesting to see the parallels between the 2 years (and the differences).

Top 30 of Our Top 10 of 2002

Jason Seaver · 02-02-2004, 10:21 PM

Quote:

Kill Bill was the other film that I thought was more style than substance. There it sits at #2...

Well, to a certain extent, I don't know as there's anything wrong with being style over substance. Certainly, I wouldn't want nothing but that, but the visuals, choreography, use of music, etc., are all legitimate filmmaking achievements just as impressive as making you identify with the characters. For a movie like Kill Bill, style is substance, and that's fine.

To a certain extent, it's tough to avoid discriminating by genre. Kill Bill is a fight movie, but it's a masterpiece of one. Similarly, I kept finding myself questioning how high I was ranking Intolerable Cruelty (I was just stubborn about Finding Nemo) until I sat down and told myself, self, you did not have two more enjoyable hours in a movie theater all year, and quite frankly, comedies have disappointed you much more often than dramas. It's like I have to consciously remind myself that these other genres aren't less important, difficult, or capable of greatness.

Seth Paxton · 02-02-2004, 11:07 PM

Quote:

Well, to a certain extent, I don't know as there's anything wrong with being style over substance.

I agree and thought that when writing it. Perhaps I could ammend that to say a lack of substance OF style.

Just style for style's sake rather than for an intended affect, and not neccessarily a narrative one. You can make mood films, including hip-moods, moods of overt violence, etc. To some degree Pulp did this of course. But Kill Bill, IMO only I realize, simply had no focused vision of mood or style. It didn't feel like the style existed for any consistent reason at all.

And that was why I was strongly let down by QTs effort, though at times the film was just what I hoped for. As I said in my top 10 list post, the film felt like QT referencing himself (and I've heard others say that).

So I think you and I just disagree on the effectiveness of his use of style in KB, not that using style is inherently wrong. I'm totally with you on the idea that it is about how you feel for the 90-180 minutes in the theater. It doesn't matter WHICH emotion you feel, just that the film can engage you strongly. Comedies make you laugh a lot, thrillers scare the shit out of you, dramas send you into tears or introspection, and kung-fu revenge flicks keep you wanting to see the next fight.

QT at times made me think "boring, you are going too long with this" or "gee, is this a reference of a reference".

However, I would agree whole-heartedly that the film showed a great deal of creative ambition in trying to be something interesting to watch, reference or otherwise.