"No great films in the last 10 years"

gambit28 said:
Utter bollocks, all of those films in that list are far superior in terms of scripting, plot, characters, cinematography and all in all just better films. Fight club pisses all over it in terms of dealing with the way the mind and it's many interpretations of reality are shown in film as well as having a plot far more intellectual than anything Inception originally aspired to be. Singing in the Rain was far more entertaning. Empire Strikes back featured an adventure of characters that you actually gave a shit about on a scale more epic and visually pleasing. Jaws was a fantastic film that in 2 parts deals with small town politics and the use of all the cinema skills to raise tension in the first, then in the second half, again has characters you actually care about going on adventure that is more interesting, and with a actual sense danger and a one of the greatest character pieces in film ever (yes the shark may have looked crap at the end but it still filled you with more dread and fear than a lower level reality) Shawshank redemption has more twists and turns that leave you feeling emotionally drained at the end, with performances and is just in the end a fantastic film. The opening sequence of Raiders alone is far superior in terms of action and tension then anything Inception had to offer
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Utter horse shit. Shawshank wasn't even as good as the fecking book it was based on.
I would argue that Duel, Spielberg's first film, had more drama and tension than Jaws.
Empire is a film for teenage boys. Where are these characters we were supposed to care about? Luke Gaywalker and a couple of Robots. L.O.L.

Raiders I would give no more than 6 out of 10. Never rated it.
 
Heardy said:
I agree, my point is that younger people now are that used to special effects the likes of Star Wars aren't given the credit they deserve as they look dated by comparison.

Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was an abomination but kids today will probably prefer it to the older ones as it's more akin to what they're used to.
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Surely the secret to a great film is that you can take away the 'gloss' and it would still be considered a great film. Take away all Inception's trickery and you have a very shallow movie. It just doesn't have any 'heart' - which is something that most of the great films do possess.

I appreciate that 'heart' is a ridiculously subjective term that has no place in a film discussion and I'm not quite sure how to quantify it.
 
Prophet_of_Doom said:
Surely the secret to a great film is that you can take away the 'gloss' and it would still be considered a great film. Take away all Inception's trickery and you have a very shallow movie. It just doesn't have any 'heart' - which is something that most of the great films do possess.

I appreciate that 'heart' is a ridiculously subjective term that has no place in a film discussion and I'm not quite sure how to quantify it.
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You've quantified it perfectly. this is exactly how I feel.
 
Nearco said:
Utter horse shit. Shawshank wasn't even as good as the fecking book it was based on.
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90% of films are never as good as the book. That's because it never lives up to your own perception of the plot and characters.

If your visualisation of the story isn't matched by the film, you'll never quite give it the same attention you would if you watched it cold.
 
Nearco said:
Utter horse shit. Shawshank wasn't even as good as the fecking book it was based on.
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Incredibly faithful to the book and I much prefer Red in the film.

I would argue that Duel, Spielberg's first film, had more drama and tension than Jaws.
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It wouldn't be a very good arument.
Empire is a film for teenage boys. Where are these characters we were supposed to care about? Luke Gaywalker and a couple of Robots. L.O.L.
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Only kids cared about Skywalker and the droids (even though they had more character than the entire atagoniosts of inception). Han Solo was where the action was.
Raiders I would give no more than 6 out of 10. Never rated it.
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Your personal opinion is faulty, I'd get it checked if I were you. 6 out of 10 indeed.
 
Shawshank wasn't even a book, it was a short story and the film was only a pale shadow of that.
 
Heardy said:
:lol: Damn it - i meant to put argue.

I agreed with your points.
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02emperor350.jpg

Excellent.
 
Nearco said:
Utter horse shit. Shawshank wasn't even as good as the fecking book it was based on.
I would argue that Duel, Spielberg's first film, had more drama and tension than Jaws.
Empire is a film for teenage boys. Where are these characters we were supposed to care about? Luke Gaywalker and a couple of Robots. L.O.L.

Raiders I would give no more than 6 out of 10. Never rated it.
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Christ.

Shawshank Redemption plays out exactly the same as the short story (wasn't really a book) it was based on. I know people often just say 'oh the book was better' as a default position and in most cases it's true but really here...err it's not.

The other stuff is just cobblers.

I liked Inception but after watching it twice at the cinema I have zero inclination to see it again so soon. I feel that way about a lot of Nolans work actually.

I've seen Jaws, Raiders, Shawshank & Empire more times than I care to mention and never felt like I wasn't watching something timeless. Who dosn't watch them whenever they're on tv?

C'mon.
 
CassiusClaymore said:
Yeah it was.

Off the top of their head can anyone name a prison movie that doesn't include a rape (sorry Lance) scene?
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Jailhouse rock, cool hand luke, green mile a fair few actually when I think about it.
 
peterstorey said:
Oh yeah, The Lives of Others deserves a shout.
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Came here to post this, although top five...probably not. Still, to say that a film can only be considered great if it's amongst the five best ever made seems more than a little limiting.

I'm a bit bemused by this notion that Jaws and Raiders weren't well regarded at the time, both were nominated for the Best Picture Oscar. Neither are amongst the ten best films ever made though....fecking Empire, what an unsurprisingly uninspiring list.

BFI | Sight & Sound | Top Ten Poll 2002 - The rest of the critics' list

Obviously no recent film will make the 2012 list, but look at how old the selections are generally. You have to give films time to build a reputation, I mean, Christ, Vertigo took decades to start appearing on such lists. Nobody really cared about Citizen Kane til the 50s, and so on. I've a feeling that There Will Be Blood, admittedly already highly regarded, will go on to be a regular amongst "greatest films ever" in the future.
 
Nearco said:
It's better than all these imo.

2. Raiders Of The Lost Ark (1981)
3. Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
4. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
5. Jaws (1975)

8. Singin' In The Rain (1952)

10. Fight Club (1999)
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Inception was entertaining enough, but it was a popcorn flick with delusions of grandeur. It's not significantly better than Raiders or Empire, and at least they were popcorn flicks that weren't mostly joyless.
 
Chabon said:
Came here to post this, although top five...probably not. Still, to say that a film can only be considered great if it's amongst the five best ever made seems more than a little limiting.

I'm a bit bemused by this notion that Jaws and Raiders weren't well regarded at the time, both were nominated for the Best Picture Oscar. Neither are amongst the ten best films ever made though....fecking Empire, what an unsurprisingly uninspiring list.

BFI | Sight & Sound | Top Ten Poll 2002 - The rest of the critics' list

Obviously no recent film will make the 2012 list, but look at how old the selections are generally. You have to give films time to build a reputation, I mean, Christ, Vertigo took decades to start appearing on such lists. Nobody really cared about Citizen Kane til the 50s, and so on. I've a feeling that There Will Be Blood, admittedly already highly regarded, will go on to be a regular amongst "greatest films ever" in the future.
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Being well regarded and being considered a timeless cinematic great are two very different things. No one is going to be adding A Beautiful Mind or Chicago to any of these lists in a decade.

But you're right that a film needs to build a reputation. Surely that's the very definition of timeless. Therefore it's impossible to decide which of today's film will merit inclusion.
 
Prophet_of_Doom said:
But you're right that a film needs to build a reputation. Surely that's the very definition of timeless. Therefore it's impossible to decide which of today's film will merit inclusion.
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Hence why I described it as a "feeling." I just feel that TWBB is the kind of film that will build such a reputation, indeed one could say that it's already happening:

Gawker — Gossip from Manhattan and the Beltway to Hollywood and the Valley

Useful little list for this discussion as well, although it's essentially all English-language.
 
Chabon said:
Hence why I described it as a "feeling." I just feel that TWBB is the kind of film that will build such a reputation, indeed one could say that it's already happening:

Gawker — Gossip from Manhattan and the Beltway to Hollywood and the Valley

Useful little list for this discussion as well, although it's essentially all English-language.
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I think There Will Be Blood is a good call. Although it completely destroys my suggestion that a film needs heart to be considered a classic!
 
CassiusClaymore said:
Agreed. Film left me cold, although I think this was mainly due to Daniel Day Lewis being so utterly convincing in the lead role.
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I'm the same for all the fantastic acting and great plot it was just dull as and dragged on for me.
 
Gladiator would walk into my top 10, 28 Days Later would probably make it in there too, while Memento is a really underrated movie that deserves a shout.
 
Chabon said:
BFI | Sight & Sound | Top Ten Poll 2002 - The rest of the critics' list

Obviously no recent film will make the 2012 list, but look at how old the selections are generally. You have to give films time to build a reputation, I mean, Christ, Vertigo took decades to start appearing on such lists. Nobody really cared about Citizen Kane til the 50s, and so on. I've a feeling that There Will Be Blood, admittedly already highly regarded, will go on to be a regular amongst "greatest films ever" in the future.
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I think there has to be a middle ground between nostalgic look backs/popcorn films to not being completely up your own arsehole like a lot of these critics are. Seriously, Rashomon number 13:lol: Great director but come the feck on.
 
Theres loads of great movies out in the last 10 years

of course if someone was to ask you to name your favourites, you will probably mostly name the ones you saw the most when you were young
 
Nearco said:
I think there has to be a middle ground between nostalgic look backs/popcorn films to not being completely up your own arsehole like a lot of these critics are. Seriously, Rashomon number 13:lol: Great director but come the feck on.
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I think Rashomon is a film most esteemed for its legacy than its quality, although obviously it is a fine film regardless.
 
Chabon said:
I think Rashomon is a film most esteemed for its legacy than its quality, although obviously it is a fine film regardless.
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I think the same could be said for most of that top 10 ... I'd argue that Star Wars and not Empire should be in that list because it was the film that was a game-changer and while the better film, Empire doesn't necessarily deserve to be there on merit alone.
 
Nearco said:
I think there has to be a middle ground between nostalgic look backs/popcorn films to not being completely up your own arsehole like a lot of these critics are. Seriously, Rashomon number 13:lol: Great director but come the feck on.
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You may or may not appreciate popular culture musical artists like Elvis, The Beatles or Michael Jackson, or perhaps the painter Paul Cézanne or abstractionist Marcel Deschamp or in the literary world, writes such as Dickens, Camus or Kafka. Any of these will not be everyones taste, but all have one thing in common, they have influenced a slew of others in their field and are generally regarded by their peers as innovators, and have ultimately effected "what we have today”

I think its fair to say Rashomon falls into that category. Whole dissertations have been written about his narrative and how he dealt with an abstraction - the issue of “perception" and how everyones is different and how one makes sense of that. This is one of the most common issues we have to deal with in our everyday lives, relationships, office politics, he said/she said, political views, all you have to do is read the football forum to see how widely perceptions can vary in a game watched on tv that everyone had the same view of, how can one person see the same thing as another and have such varying accounts of the same moment? its a massively difficult subject and he made a movie just about that

From what I understand Akira Kurosawa was the first movie maker to take on this subject, and he did it brilliantly. Aside from that, there was not a scene or line in the entire movie that was not purposeful, rife with symbolism and metaphor in an attempt to deal with such a complex subject, he gives you a lot to think about. Perhaps even giving you an awareness of the notion of perception and much it can vary based on each individual “Rashomon Effect" has been employed by literally dozens if not hundreds of others since, if this dosen’t warrant greatness, then what does?

It’s not about being up your own arsehole, its about trying to look a little deeper to something so prevalent
 
Dresilved said:
You may or may not appreciate popular culture musical artists like Elvis, The Beatles or Michael Jackson, or perhaps the painter Paul Cézanne or abstractionist Marcel Deschamp or in the literary world, writes such as Dickens, Camus or Kafka. Any of these will not be everyones taste, but all have one thing in common, they have influenced a slew of others in their field and have ultimately effected "what we have today”

I think its fair to say Rashomon falls into that category. Whole dissertations have been written about his narrative and how he dealt with issue of “perception" and how everyones is different and how one makes sense of that. This is one of the most common issues we have to deal with in our everyday lives, office politics, he said/she said, political views, all you have to do is read the football forum to see how widely perceptions can vary in a game watched on tv that everyone had the same view of, how can one person see the same thing as another and have such varying accounts of the same moment? its a massively difficult subject and he made a movie just about that

From what I understand Akira Kurosawa was the first movie maker to take on this subject, and he did it brilliantly. Aside from that, there was not a scene or line in the entire movie that was not purposeful, rife with symbolism and metaphor in an attempt to deal with such a complex subject, he gives you a lot to think about. Perhaps even giving you an awareness of the notion of perception and much it can vary based on each individual “Rashomon Effect" has been employed by literally dozens if not hundreds of others since, if this dosen’t warrant greatness, then what does?

It’s not about being up your own arsehole, its about trying to look a little deeper to something so prevalent
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I agree wholeheartedly, Dre. If I were to do another top 100 movies' list, I'm sure I'd weight it differently this time. Seminal...influential films should be very high up on the list.
 
Spoony Youngblood said:
I agree wholeheartedly, Dre. If I were to do another top 100 movies lists, I'm sure I'd weight it differently this time. Seminal...influential films should be very high up on the list.
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IMO this is the difference between a movie like Rashomon and Inception. Inception is trying to be clever for the sake of being a “water cooler” movie with no real meat on the bones, we’re not actually taking anything away from it, the biggest talking point was the spinner at the end... thats it? its nothing more than being "cutely clever” ..... but thats just my opinion
 
Eriku said:
Sure they are... Not at the same rate as people were turned on to Will Ferrell and Adam Sandler, but then again how's that a decent criteria for epicness to stand the test of time?

"Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room!"
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:lol: absolutely one of my top 3 lines in cinema
 
Dresilved said:
IMO this is the difference between a movie like Rashomon and Inception. Inception is trying to be clever for the sake of being a “water cooler” movie with no real meat on the bones, we’re not actually taking anything away from it, the biggest talking point was the spinner at the end... thats it? its nothing more than being "cutely clever” ..... but thats just my opinion
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Yeah, we've talked a lot about Inception, it was basically a glossy popcorn flick. It had the potential to be a lot lot more. And I agree about the ending too. I wonder what the next best ever movie will be this summer.
 
Donnie Darko, LOTR, City of God. Easily great films.

Avatar is a cinematic masterpiece. No film as much of an eye candy experience in the theater.

Dark Knight is number 10 and Inception is number 8 on IMDB. That has to count for something. Not saying two of the greatest all time but certainly on the tip of the iceberg.

Could add to that Memento, Spirited Away, Infernal Affairs/The Departed, Oldboy.
 
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