'Time Out New York' Names Its Decade's Best

We published our best of the decade list on New Year's Day, and it's one of those things where there were probably close to twice as many in the first phases of putting it together. One of them that was on my list, literally until the day before, was Zodiac. The David Fincher film deserves credit for dozens of things, but it's the effects that sneak up on you. Watch the bonus materials on the director's cut, which shows you how much Fincher relied on the post-production work from Digital Domain, the same company that did the effects for Benjamin Button. You don't think of Zodiac as an effects movie, and that's why that aspect of the film is so good. So I was happy to see what I consider the best serial killer movie since Silence of the Lambs (Fincher's Se7en is not far behind) get more attention from other sources at the end of the decade, especially since Paramount did a poor job marketing the film and pushing it for awards in 2007. I may not agree with most of the selections on the new list from Time Out New York, but it's not worth debating. The important thing is if you can make sound cases for the films listed. I can do that with all of the films in this top ten that I've seen except Dogville, which I just never warmed up to at all. Even The New World looked and sounded beautiful. A bit languid, sure, but incredibly picturesque. The great thing about lists like this, or mine, or Ebert's, is that it might turn you on to something you overlooked or completely forgot about after a few years. So dig in... 1 - Mulholland Drive
2 - There Will Be Blood
3 - Eternal Sunshine
4 - The New World
5 - In the Mood for Love
6 - Yi Yi (A One and a Two...)
7 - Dogville
8 - Zodiac
9 - A Christmas Tale
10- Friday Night

Comments

[anybody]

Zodiac is an absolutely great film... it has an effortless look and feel of the 70's, great direction and cinematography plus an awesome script (the way it starts with four investigators, down to two and then one). It would be on my list for sure. Wong Kar Wai's film is another gem that deserves mention.

On the other hand I absolutely despise Dogville, not only is the plot sickening but it really is not even a film as much as a filmed play. An exercise in why bother as far as I'm concerned. He is a director that has only gotten worse with age and ego (from the amazing element of crime to the acquired taste of his dogme95 movement to the absolute garbage that is his 'America trilogy' even with only two of three made so far).

[SEAN]

It sucks Zodiac flopped, bad timing I guess....

Glad to see Eternal & There Will Be Blood once again....

[Lengthy Johnson]

I was underwhelmed by Zodiac. It had an casual style, bordering on arbitrary, that was very cold and unengaging. The film could have been about style but many scenes are unassuming. There is no denying that Fincher is an important figure in film but Zodiac did not work as intended. Or if it did, it just shows that Fincher isn't flawless.

I was much more engaged and impressed with Benjamin Button, which had a surprising tone of warmth and humour to it.

[anybody]

I also like Benjamin Button but the problem for me was a better first half than second which is not a good idea (the film reached it's height for me during the scenes with Jared Harris), especially in a three hour film. Also the scenes set in the present could have been cut out completely without changing much, and if scenes can be cut they should be cut. I find Zodiac to be the superior film and Se7en as well for that matter. Ben Button would pull up in 4th on my Fincher list.

[Get The Big Picture]

Yeah, it did have some latter-day Spielberg influence on the contemporary/Hurricane Katrina bookends.

[VFX in Venice]

Please note that Brad Pitt is VERY involved in the rebuilding of New Orleans on a number of different levels, and likes to bring attention to the fact that the rebuilding effort is far from complete. So, in discussing the film with Fincher, I think it is fairly likely that Brad contributed to, and would have been happy to extend, the references to modern day New Orleans and Hurricane Katrina. Just an observation.

[Lengthy Johnson]

Well, I think that the hurricane Katrina setting was just a way of anchoring the slightly fantastic plot in modern reality.

If anything, I felt that the movie could have been even longer.