Rich Malloy

Not merely to counteract Brook's demotion ( just saw it for the first time last night), I've added "The Squid and the Whale" to my favorite ten list, keeping "The Best of Youth" there, but knocking "Munich" out.

It's funny how much my list has been juggled, and I still haven't seen the vast majority of films released last year (even easy-to-see stuff like "The New World", "Brokeback Mountain", "Broken Flowers", "Walk the Line" and frankly lots more!). "Tropical Malady" stays on top, but "Cache" has moved up to about a tie (and I haven't yet seen it again - it's just stayed in my consciousness more than any other). "A History of Violence" has dropped in my estimation a bit after seeing it again, but still one of my ten favorites of the year. And "Yes" came in strong at no. 3, and I'm already dying to see it again only a week after my first viewing. I'm very glad I followed Rosenbaum's strong review of that film, even though the critical drubbing it got elsewhere delayed my viewing of it for so long.

And I can't believe "Batman Begins" is by an enormous margin the favorite film of the forum. I'd agree it's better than every Batman film that came before, but still an extremely conventional drama without much emotional or thematic resonance. The savior/vigilante dichotomy is not exactly fresh, but I guess this film's up there with "Dirty Harry" on that count, and some people consider "Dirty Harry" a masterpiece, too. I sorta get it - more with "Harry" than "Batman" - but I still found it fairly forgettable and hardly a film worthy of being regarded so much more highly than every other film released last year.

Edwin Pereyra

As someone who enjoyed the film, I'll trade your bewilderment over Batman Returns to your highly rated King Kong using some of the same reasons you gave above. I mean, I can understand going gaga over the special effects like a 7-year old in a candy store but rating it far higher than The Best Of Youth? C'mon.

~Edwin

DVD Unwind: Paradise Now (Coming) • King Kong - - • Keane • The Squid And The Whale • A History Of Violence • Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire • The Best Of Youth (Italy) • Good Night And Good Luck • Howl\'s Moving Castle • Walk The Line - - • Zathura • North Country - -


= Standouts
= Recommended
- - = Indifferent


Quality matters more than quantity.

Film Lists: 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002 • Best Films of 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001 • Foreign & Independent Films: 2005, 2004, 2003

Tino

I agree completely Rich. And King Kong is superior to Batman Begins in every conceivable way. It's not even close.

Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus.

Rich Malloy

You must be looking at someone else's list! I don't think I've ever given "Kong" more than an honorable mention, whereas "The Best of Youth" resides in my top ten.

But I'll take "Kong" over "Batman", on the basis that I love the first act and the last act, but I'll concede that the middle act goes on far too long and mostly for no other purpose than extraneous dino-killing. I did find this portion of the film to be weakest, like all those movies I hate that are nothing more than the celluloid equivalent of an amusement park thrill ride. Kong's hardly perfect, but I certainly liked it enough to give it a mention!

EDIT: actually I may have had "Kong" in the top ten early on. I saw that one in the theaters, whereas most of the films on my list I've caught up with lately on DVD (including "The Best of Youth").

Adam_S

I think Edwin may have meant that Kong is also in the top five for HTF which also boggles my mind. A good film, most definitely, but hardly competitive, in my mind, with the entertaining and the arthouse fare from last year.

top 20 films
2008 film list
My DVDs; S&S List 62...212 AFI lists: - DONE!

Rich Malloy

I think Edwin's referring to an earlier iteration of my list, but his memory is apparently better than mine! At the time we started keeping track, I hadn't seen a good many films that currently are among my ten favorites.

And I suspect there'll be many more changes to come - I have high hopes for "The New World" and "L'Enfant", and though "Brokeback" looks a bit too Hollywood conventional (save the gay angle, I guess), I've been assured by many that I'll think differently once I see it.

Edwin Pereyra

That's right, Rich. I was referring to an earlier version of your list. When I posted my thoughts on The Best Of Youth about a week or so ago, you had commented on it as well and said that it was in your Top 10 for the year. At the time you had it at #9 and Kong was in your Top 5, to my surprise. I was going to comment on it then but didn't.

However, you had since come to your senses by updating your list recently.

~Edwin

DVD Unwind: Paradise Now (Coming) • King Kong - - • Keane • The Squid And The Whale • A History Of Violence • Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire • The Best Of Youth (Italy) • Good Night And Good Luck • Howl\'s Moving Castle • Walk The Line - - • Zathura • North Country - -


= Standouts
= Recommended
- - = Indifferent


Quality matters more than quantity.

Film Lists: 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002 • Best Films of 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001 • Foreign & Independent Films: 2005, 2004, 2003

Tim Glover

Re: Our Top 10 Lists of 2005 - "Time to throw down!"

added my list finally.

A late top 10 addition was The Constant Gardner. Great film.

May 25, 1977