Tuesday
17Nov2009
'Paste' Presents Its Top Films of the Decade
Tuesday, November 17, 2009 at 2:56AM
I'll hand it to Paste, which has a bigger reputation as a music magazine, on the occasion of its top ten
movies of the decade list. Actually, the list runs to 50, which is probably way too long, especially for a collection of films that has as many expected choices as esoteric ones.
2 - Amélie
3 - Almost Famous
4 - Lord of the Rings Trilogy
5 - Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
6 - Beau Travail
7 - Lost in Translation
8 - The Son
9 - No Country for Old Men
10- The Royal Tenenbaums
2 - Amélie
3 - Almost Famous
4 - Lord of the Rings Trilogy
5 - Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
6 - Beau Travail
7 - Lost in Translation
8 - The Son
9 - No Country for Old Men
10- The Royal Tenenbaums
Colin Boyd | Permalink | in Lists, Lord of the Rings | Print Article | Email Article | 9 Comments | Share Article
Reader Comments (9)
The fact that there is no Juno or Brokeback Mountain in the top ten automatically disqualifies it for me. Paste should stick to music and leave the movie stuff for those who actually know what they are doing!
I think you're going to stand in the minority on that Juno thing. I don't believe it will make many top tens of the decade.
City of God is my #1 as well
The people of Paste and I are very different people. (looks at the rest of the top fifty) Maybe not so much. Squid, Rat, Godsford, Cache, and a few others deserve their spots.
All together a respectable list... of course I have some differences of opinion (largely what I would call their gestation periods - too soon to properly assess where some of the more resents should fall). There Will be Blood might prove a one of the most important films of the decade just as Raging Bull has slowly climbed to 4th all-time on the AFI list. I also think LotR will fade with time. Two of the Top 10 are in my all-time five though (Tenenbaums and ESotSM).
***recents not resents... obviously.***
ha at the Juno comment. Either way I look to paste for acoustic band sessions more than a film top ten list.
I think LOTR has already slipped. I'm sure a few films from the past couple years will elevate over time, including Blood and No Country. Oh, and Hotel for Dogs.
This is the REAL top list of the last decade. And it should be twenty positions long because every year there is at least an average of 2 great films so 2 x 10 = 20 get it. (My list is mixing everything together of popular appeal, visual beauty, and consensus amongst the great movie minds) It's also 21 spots long cause i wanted to have a Woody Allen movie on it because he's great.
21 .Match Point (the most popular and beautiful of Woody Allen films in the last decade)
20. Pan's Labrynth (A popular foreign mystical film with a sharp ending and beautiful design work)
19. The New World (Beauty personified with a great touching story)
18. Gosford Park (Like the New World, this is just a beautiful film, with a good serious take on the old Agatha Christie type mysteries)
17. The Departed (Scorceses best of the decade, but not as emotional as his early films so it doesn't rank higher)
16. Almost Famous (Though most of Cameron Crowes work is extremely vacant, this partially personal story was what made this movie great. Penny Lane, everybody, Penny Lane)
15. The Lives of others (A very good film, simply put)
14. Million Dollar Baby (Eastwoods best of the decade, notice a trend with great directors on this list. Very emotional film too)
13. The Lord of the rings Trillogy (I personally think these movies are overhyped garbage, but since everyone else likes them and at times they are beautiful, i lumped them all together here behind a better populous movie)
12. The Dark KNight (Likely the most popular film of the decade that was also a little deep. Very of the times)
11. No Country For Old Men (I think overall it's a little overrated. But is very good entertainment, nicely shot, and the Sherriff's angle in all this is very heartfelt)
10. Elephant (A chilling but beautifully shot reminder of columbine)
9. The Royal Tenenbaums (The second best comedy of the decade, though most beautiful, and Wes Anderson's best to date - don't give me that Rushmore garbage people, good movie, not as good as this.)
8. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (The best "comedy" of the year and very wonderfully imaginative shooting. It's got style, laughs, emotion, all you need)
7. Hero (The second best adventure film of the decade. The most beautiful though)
6. Traffic (With Sodebergs rough film style this story of the realty of the drug war in America and Mexico hits hard. The truth that the war is won at home is mainly what we're left with,)
5. Requiem for a Dream (If you're not almost in tears during the phone call towards the end between Connolly and Leto then something's wrong with you)
4. City of God (Style, substance, it doesn't get much better)
3. Michael Clayton (A very underrated movie. Very of the times and tells a great entertaining story at that. The last scene of Michael in the taxi you feel everything he's going through. Great movie)
2. There Will Be Blood (Everything about this is true greatness. The journey of a tortured man, the beautiful shots, the unwavering of this character throughout, the abrupt end. It's Great)
1. Gladiator (The best movie at the start of the decade, and still the best at the end. Yes it's not as deep as some of the above movies, but it's beautiful, it's entertaining, it does have a soul, and No movie has been able to do all that in one since. That makes it the best of the decade)
I know i said this is the REAL list, but i'm not really that arrogant to think that. I know it's very subjective because as you can see in my top three i have very Male dominated movies where a troubled man goes on a deep personal journey. THat's what resonates with me. SO there's my list. I hope to see more posted here because i like seeing what other people think.