I know, I know. This is three movies instead of one.
Yet as the very overused meme would say, “one does not simply pick one of the films in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy.”
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Number 3…
Category: Movies
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Number 5…
Looking back, most would agree that no other year this century had a more top-notch lineup of films than 2007 (although 2019 would come to mind).
That said, it is somewhat forgotten that the year was also solid in its output of musicals. You had originals like Enchanted (which showed the world how alluring Amy Adams can be) and High School Musical 2 (though not as adaquate as the original in my book, the music to that trilogy had popularity like you would not believe). Then there were stage-to-screen adaptations, such as Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (one of Tim Burton’s very best films) and Hairspray, which took delight to a whole new level. Still, no musical (of any year) had me rushing to iTunes to buy the whole album quicker than Once.
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Number 6…
In High School, my english class always seemed to be one of the first of the day, and that was no exception back in my sophomore year.
Yet one day in January of 2004, I can safely say I don’t at all remember what we were supposed to be doing, because I was not paying any attention. We were in one of the computer labs (do those even exist anymore? I don’t know), working on research of some kind, but my mind was elsewhere: the Oscar nominations.
Perhaps I am late to this realization, but with short films, it is much easier to find out the intent of the filmmaker(s) since there is not too much to worry about plot wise.
Such was the case with two new short films I saw by Chris Paicely and Miles August (“Chris and Miles”): Silk (directed by August) and The Girl in the Street (directed by Paicely), both of which each of them wrote.
As someone who has yet to visit New York City (still near the top of my bucket list), I in no way feel I can say what director in the history of cinema has best captured the city.
A few names do come to mind: Martin Scorcese, Nora Ephron, Sidney Lumet, and Woody Allen (despite his troubled personal life). Then of course there is Spike Lee. While he has not entirely relied on New York for all of his films, his best ones (namely Do the Right Thing in 1989) have helped shape parts of the city that never sleeps in our movie going psyche.
It’s been around a year and a half since Pepsi had the unfortunate plug in Madame Web, making Pepsi supporters redder in the face than the red in the can of its rival soda company.
There were scarce a number of product placement that were unfortunate in recent cinematic history, but at least Pepsi was not in the shameless promotion. What Amazon has going for it in the newest version of War of the Worlds is so wanton I legit thought of spending some time apart with my Prime Benefits relationship.
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28 Years Later (2025)
Whether it was at the age of 10 when I discovered the idea of zombies through the OG Resident Evil games (and later, the atrocious movies), my brief obsession with The Walking Dead (I stopped watching not long after Carl was killed off), or only recently catching up with the 28 days films, I have come to one solid conclusion: I would not last long in a zombie apocalypse.
There are too many factors to consider, but the main reason is that without the meds I normally take, I’m a goner. Nevertheless, the idea of a zombie apocalypse has been lodged in our society’s psyche since the days of George A. Romero. Now, director Danny Boyle (along with Alex Garland as a script writer) have come back to the universe they created in 2002, with 28 Years Later, the third in the series (both were absent for 28 Weeks Later).
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Number 18…
In my mind, a foreign language film can go one or two ways.
Either the film can be so ingrained into a country’s culture that it would not work anywhere else, or the film can be so universal that it could be told virtually in any language or country. I personally try for the middle ground, where a movie shows characters that are relatable to any nationality or race, and no other live action foreign language film has impacted me in that way this century more so than 2011’s Iranian film, A Separation.
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Number 19…
As I grow older, I realize I have a need for afternoon naps.
Sadly, I would find this out during my times at the theater, making me miss out on key parts of certain films that are, for the most part, great movies (some examples include Mad Max: Fury Road, The Boy and the Heron, and, recently, Ballerina). So naturally, when I went to see Todd Fields’ TÁR, I was worried I would clock out for twenty minutes or so. That did not happen at all.
The film centers on Lydia Tár (Cate Blanchett), a world renown EGOT winning composer who was given more talent and drive as a person than any form of empathy or kindness (shout out to whoever originally thought she may be a relative of sorts to Terrence Fletcher from Whiplash). The story revolves around her rise in the music community with her eventual fall.
I revisited this movie a little over a month ago for the first time since it’s release, and I still feel as though I am scratching the surface: the film contains a manifold of meanings. Director Todd Fields gives a look into a subject rather prevalent to our society the last few years (cancel culture) with a character you can still feel for despite how horrendous her actions are (remember the scene where she stands up to her daughter’s bully? You will never feel worse for a bully in a film.)
I’m not sure when it occurred to me, but I am rather confident in saying that Cate Blancett is probably my favorite living actress. While I have not seen all of her films, I have still yet to see her give a bad performance (thankfully, I missed out on Borderlands). I can’t think of any actress who can portray “steely resolve” better than she can. She even manages to have fun with roles ranging from Indiana Jones to the MCU. She never phones anything in. You truly can’t start talking about the best of all time without bringing her up.
I’m not entirely sure why the character is named TÁR (it is an anagram for “Art” as well as “Rat” spelled background), but I do have my own theory. Weeks ago, I was driving to work and sadly got a lot of tar sprayed on my car. Removing Tar from the surface of the car is not easy, just like watching TÁR is not easy to forget.
(As of this writing, TÁR is available on VOD).
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Number 20…
Very few directors in my life time have been as unique or eclectic as the Coen brothers.
There are still three or so films of theirs I admit I need to see, but one only needs to see a couple to realize their talent. Even their “lesser” films are still interesting to watch (with the probable exemption of 2004’s The Ladykillers). They even managed to make a remake of the classic True Grit in 2010, and managed to make it just as effective (some would argue it is even better). Yet for all they have under their artistic belt, no film stuck to me (or the Academy) more so than their Best Picture winner of 2007, No Country for Old Men.
Based off of the book by Cormac McCarthy, what the film taught me as a film goer was patience. The film is not afraid to take its time before Llewelyn (Josh Brolin) stumbles upon the stolen money, and finds himself being chased by Anton Chigurgh (Javier Bardem). The pieces left behind are being picked up by the local Sheriff Ed Tom Bell (the pitch perfectly cast Tommy Lee Jones).
The Coen’s don’t mind taking their time giving us little subtle moments that, these days, require the viewer to stay off of their phone. The cat and mouse scenes between the aforementioned characters are basically Hitchockian.
This was one of two movies in 2007 that was a resurgence for Josh Brolin (the other being American Gangster, where he also shoots a dog). He had been in movies going as far back as The Goonies, but 2007 was the year that brought him truly into the public eye (it was not long before he was cast/immortalized as Thanos in the MCU).
Yet even with the immaculate performances from Jones and Brolin (not to mention Woody Harrelson and Kelly Macdonald), as well as the cinematography by the legend that is Roger Deakins, there is simply no way anyone cannot ignore Javier Bardem. His Anton Chigurgh is proof that not all fictional characters that are clearly psychopaths don’t have to be portrayed over the top. His is so emotionless and silent, but never the less ruthless. Add in the fact that (spoiler) he escapes and you have my pick for the best villain of the century so far.
Like many, I felt at the time the ending of the film was a bit abrupt and awkward, but I have come to accept it as clearly the right one (this was the same year as that wonderful finale for The Sopranos that confused a lot of people, myself included). Yet the Coen’s always played by their own rules. When the Coen’s won Best Director for the film (one of four Oscars it won, along with Picture, Screenplay, and Supporting Actor for Bardem), Joel said it best when he thanked everyone for letting them continue to play in their corner of the sandbox.
(As of this writing, No Country for Old Men can be found on MGM plus on Amazon).
Friendo.
Nothing else to say 