Name a couple of truly great movies from the last 10 years (1 Viewer)

[Josie Maran]

Capote.

Inglorious Basterds.

Capote I won't even dignify with a response, but I'll gladly name three better Tarantino movies that are also better than Capote.

Reservoir Dogs

Pulp Fiction

Jackie Brown

Although I admit PSH's performance in Capote was spectacular.

But I don't want a showcase for an actor, I want a movie I can't completely demolish with movies from the 90's.

Lots of good suggestions in here already.

I'll watch and listen, since I don't think I could make a case you'd find convincing if you thought Jackie Brown was fit for anything but overhead entertainment on Mexican tour buses.

LOL I may have reached on Jackie, but I still put it above Basterds because of the silliness of the final few scenes.

 

[Josie Maran]

Children of Men- this stands w anything to me

City of God is 2002 so not 10 years but post 90s

district 9

Social Network

Children of Men is a great suggestion, but I kind of thought I was alone in my love of that one.

 

[Josie Maran]

No Country For Old Men

There Will Be Blood

I think I agree with you about the 90's, though. I can't think of five better in each director's oeuvre, but I can think of one or two for each.

No Country might might might be in the conversation with the crime dramas I listed, but the lack of closure hurts it quite a bit.

And trust me, I love stories with an ambiguous ending.

Homie, you fishing here? I know you're smarter than this. It wasn't an ambiguous ending at all. It was an ellipsis.

Maybe ambiguous was the wrong word to use, but it just kind of left me unfulfilled...tough to put into words, the feeling at the end of that film.

It might just be me, and I can probably be convinced that it belongs with my crime drama list from earlier.

 

[Josie Maran]

Top 5:

No Country For Old Men

The Departed

There Will Be Blood

The Secret In Their Eyes

Children Of Men

Never heard of that one...will investigate.

 

[TenTimes]

Is it because of how much money is going in to comic movies?

 

[Christo]

Agh, completely forgot Children of Men. Masterpiece.

I can see why people like it, I guess. But I gave it another try about a month ago and still don't see the fuss.

Agree. It's decent. But masterpiece? Come on.

 

[Josie Maran]

Can you do 5 animated films better than UP?

I can't even name 5 animated films that I've seen.

Finding Nemo I saw on DVD when I couldn't sleep and all my buddy had were friggin kids movies. And I took my nephew to see How To Train Your Dragon when that was out.

So two.

 

[Christo]

Great is subjective when it comes to any form of art.

I don' think you understand that concept.

I don't think you understand the concept. Even when it comes to art "great" implies some sort of consensus beyond personal choice.

 

[Josie Maran]

The other criminally underrated movie of recent past is Zodiac

I agree that it's highly underrated, but again, can't hang with the big boys. And I love David Fincher more than most people love their kids. Zodiac is great but it's probably his 4th best movie...arguably 3rd.

 

[Jeff Vader]

No Country For Old Men

There Will Be Blood

I think I agree with you about the 90's, though. I can't think of five better in each director's oeuvre, but I can think of one or two for each.

No Country might might might be in the conversation with the crime dramas I listed, but the lack of closure hurts it quite a bit.

And trust me, I love stories with an ambiguous ending.

Homie, you fishing here? I know you're smarter than this. It wasn't an ambiguous ending at all. It was an ellipsis.

Maybe ambiguous was the wrong word to use, but it just kind of left me unfulfilled...tough to put into words, the feeling at the end of that film.

It might just be me, and I can probably be convinced that it belongs with my crime drama list from earlier.

McCarthy exceeds genre. This is a narrative examination of order vs. chaos, terrain that Cormac has been working for decades. The movie does a great job translating his work, IMO.

 

[Josie Maran]

Movies I can think of:

What a terrible thread

OP loves pre-2004 movies

We are supposed to list movies that we like, but OP can name 5 better movies of all time

Thanks for summing things up.

But honestly I'm looking for a little debate. If there's a consensus on something, I will totally admit that I'm wrong.

I'm not though.

 

[Jeff Vader]

The other criminally underrated movie of recent past is Zodiac

I agree that it's highly underrated, but again, can't hang with the big boys. And I love David Fincher more than most people love their kids. Zodiac is great but it's probably his 4th best movie...arguably 3rd.

Fincher is such a disappointment. What is it with directors of his generation? It's like Tarantino. He produces one great movie, then collapses into 'just above mediocre' for the rest of his career. Tarantino had Pulp Fiction. Fincher had Fight Club. Then a slew of OK films.

Where's our Kubrick? Our Hitchcock?

 

[Josie Maran]

Great is subjective when it comes to any form of art.

I don' think you understand that concept.

Wut?

Surry, I had my fumb in mah ear.

 

[Jeff Vader]

 

[Josie Maran]

The other criminally underrated movie of recent past is Zodiac

I agree that it's highly underrated, but again, can't hang with the big boys. And I love David Fincher more than most people love their kids. Zodiac is great but it's probably his 4th best movie...arguably 3rd.

Fincher is such a disappointment. What is it with directors of his generation? It's like Tarantino. He produces one great movie, then collapses into 'just above mediocre' for the rest of his career. Tarantino had Pulp Fiction. Fincher had Fight Club. Then a slew of OK films.

Where's our Kubrick? Our Hitchcock?

Dude, seriously?

The Game, Seven, Fight Club, Panic Room (not great, but kind of underrated) Girl/Dragon/etc, Zodiac, Social Network.

I'm thinking you're just starting a fight...outside a bar...with maybe one other guy.

 

[Jeff Vader]

I forgot about Seven. I'll give you that one. But the rest? Decent, maybe good, but not great. Not even close.

The Social Network, great? You serious, Clarke?

 

[Freelove]

I forgot about Seven. I'll give you that one. But the rest? Decent, maybe good, but not great. Not even close.

The Social Network, great? You serious, Clarke?

Social Network is maybe "great" at what it tried to do, which may be the most you can realistically ask of a director.

Fincher has mostly been at his best when working exclusively with Brad Pitt and the forces of anarchy. If he can work to somehow go back in time and have directed 12 Monkeys, he should probably do it. Other than that, though, I'd say his work has suffered primarily because Pitt got old and Palahniuk stopped being original.

Nobody's writing good chaos any more.

 

[rockaction]

This may sound stupid, but my friend called No Country For Old Men "Augustinian." As I look this up, I think it's less a narrative about order and chaos than a meditation on good, evil, and free will. Let me explain:

Maybe this is what my friend is getting at. Remember how frustrated Chigurh gets when the wife tells him not to toss the coin, and that he has a choice to kill her or not to kill her. That he has free will. He gets flustered, angry. He's not evil in his own head; it's fate that determines somebody's living or dying. It's chance. Her pointing out that he has free will is the only time in the movie that he reflects or gets angry. I'm a dilettante, but I thought of him during this thread. So....here goes.

From Augustine on evil.

Augustine observed that evil could not be chosen because there is no evil thing to choose. One can only turn away from the good, that is from a greater good to a lesser good (in Augustine's hierarchy) since all things are good. "For when the will abandons what is above itself, and turns to what is lower, it becomes evil--not because that is evil to which it turns, but because the turning itself is wicked."[4]

Evil, then, is the act itself of choosing the lesser good. To Augustine the source of evil is in the free will of persons: "And I strained to perceive what I now heard, that free-will was the cause of our doing ill."[5] Evil was a "perversion of the will, turned aside from...God" to lesser things.[6]

eta* This scene is on right now on IFC

 

[Freelove]

Any decent story is going to be open to different sorts of intelligent interpretation. Cormac McCarthy is way beyond decent.

 

[Josie Maran]

I forgot about Seven. I'll give you that one. But the rest? Decent, maybe good, but not great. Not even close.

The Social Network, great? You serious, Clarke?

Social Network is maybe "great" at what it tried to do, which may be the most you can realistically ask of a director.Fincher has mostly been at his best when working exclusively with Brad Pitt and the forces of anarchy. If he can work to somehow go back in time and have directed 12 Monkeys, he should probably do it. Other than that, though, I'd say his work has suffered primarily because Pitt got old and Palahniuk stopped being original.

Nobody's writing good chaos any more.

We should make out.

 

[Josie Maran]

I forgot about Seven. I'll give you that one. But the rest? Decent, maybe good, but not great. Not even close.

The Social Network, great? You serious, Clarke?

Actually, I've never seen it. I hate bio picks.

 

[Josie Maran]

This may sound stupid, but my friend called No Country For Old Men "Augustinian." As I look this up, I think it's less a narrative about order and chaos than a meditation on good, evil, and free will. Let me explain:

Maybe this is what my friend is getting at. Remember how frustrated Chigurh gets when the wife tells him not to toss the coin, and that he has a choice to kill her or not to kill her. That he has free will. He gets flustered, angry. He's not evil in his own head; it's fate that determines somebody's living or dying. It's chance. Her pointing out that he has free will is the only time in the movie that he reflects or gets angry. I'm a dilettante, but I thought of him during this thread. So....here goes.

From Augustine on evil.



Augustine observed that evil could not be chosen because there is no evil thing to choose. One can only turn away from the good, that is from a greater good to a lesser good (in Augustine's hierarchy) since all things are good. "For when the will abandons what is above itself, and turns to what is lower, it becomes evil--not because that is evil to which it turns, but because the turning itself is wicked."[4]

Evil, then, is the act itself of choosing the lesser good. To Augustine the source of evil is in the free will of persons: "And I strained to perceive what I now heard, that free-will was the cause of our doing ill."[5] Evil was a "perversion of the will, turned aside from...God" to lesser things.[6]



eta* This scene is on right now on IFC

Just the fact that this observation can take place makes me put No Country on the list.

 

[rockaction]

Any decent story is going to be open to different sorts of intelligent interpretation. Cormac McCarthy is way beyond decent.

True. And I'm coming at it from someone else's perspective. I did think, originally upon seeing it, that there was a huge emphasis on free will and fate and chance.

 

[Josie Maran]

Any decent story is going to be open to different sorts of intelligent interpretation. Cormac McCarthy is way beyond decent.

This. I'm actually surprised no one has mentioned The Road.

It definitely deserves to be in the conversation.

 

[Freelove]

Everyone who was touched that deeply by The Road just went ahead and offed themselves on the way out of the theater.

 

[Josie Maran]

Everyone who was touched that deeply by The Road just went ahead and offed themselves on the way out of the theater.

Sooooo spectacularly depressing.

 

[Time Kibitzer]

In random order:

American Hustle

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

The Skin I Live In

A Separation

Drive

Bernie

Senna

Incendies

Four Lions

Animal Kingdom

Fantastic Mr. Fox

The White Ribbon

A Prophet

Inglorious Basterds

Doubt

Synecdoche, New York

Waltz With Bashir

Pan's Labyrinth

The Lives of Others

13 Tzameti

Little Miss Sunshine

Hidden

Broken Flowers

Grizzly Man

Me and You and Everyone We Know

Oldboy

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

The Machinist

Napoleon Dynamite

Anvil: The Story of Anvil

No Country for Old Men

Eastern Promises

Superbad

The King of Kong

 

[rockaction]

Man On a Wire and The King of Kong were great docs, IMO.

eta* Time Kibitzer reminded me of the latter.

 

[rockaction]

This may sound stupid, but my friend called No Country For Old Men "Augustinian." As I look this up, I think it's less a narrative about order and chaos than a meditation on good, evil, and free will. Let me explain:

Maybe this is what my friend is getting at. Remember how frustrated Chigurh gets when the wife tells him not to toss the coin, and that he has a choice to kill her or not to kill her. That he has free will. He gets flustered, angry. He's not evil in his own head; it's fate that determines somebody's living or dying. It's chance. Her pointing out that he has free will is the only time in the movie that he reflects or gets angry. I'm a dilettante, but I thought of him during this thread. So....here goes.

From Augustine on evil.

Augustine observed that evil could not be chosen because there is no evil thing to choose. One can only turn away from the good, that is from a greater good to a lesser good (in Augustine's hierarchy) since all things are good. "For when the will abandons what is above itself, and turns to what is lower, it becomes evil--not because that is evil to which it turns, but because the turning itself is wicked."[4]

Evil, then, is the act itself of choosing the lesser good. To Augustine the source of evil is in the free will of persons: "And I strained to perceive what I now heard, that free-will was the cause of our doing ill."[5] Evil was a "perversion of the will, turned aside from...God" to lesser things.[6]



eta* This scene is on right now on IFC

Just the fact that this observation can take place makes me put No Country on the list.

Thanks for that. Credit to my friend.

 

[msudaisy26]

I can't believe that many people like Inception that much. It was a decent movie but not mind blowing.

 

[Fennis]

Man On a Wire and The King of Kong were great docs, IMO.

eta* Time Kibitzer reminded me of the latter.

was coming in to post these two

 

[Josie Maran]

I can't believe that many people like Inception that much. It was a decent movie but not mind blowing.

It was an unexpectedly original l story, with great performances and awesome visuals. Based on what it's been compared to so far, I'll f'n take it.

 

[msudaisy26]

I can't believe that many people like Inception that much. It was a decent movie but not mind blowing.

It was an unexpectedly original l story, with great performances and awesome visuals. Based on what it's been compared to so far, I'll f'n take it.

It reminded me a lot of the matrix. Don't get me wrong if was decent and I love Leonardo. He is one of the best actors.

Here is a movie I loved how about Shutter Island

 

[Jeff Vader]

This may sound stupid, but my friend called No Country For Old Men "Augustinian." As I look this up, I think it's less a narrative about order and chaos than a meditation on good, evil, and free will. Let me explain:

Maybe this is what my friend is getting at. Remember how frustrated Chigurh gets when the wife tells him not to toss the coin, and that he has a choice to kill her or not to kill her. That he has free will. He gets flustered, angry. He's not evil in his own head; it's fate that determines somebody's living or dying. It's chance. Her pointing out that he has free will is the only time in the movie that he reflects or gets angry. I'm a dilettante, but I thought of him during this thread. So....here goes.

From Augustine on evil.

Augustine observed that evil could not be chosen because there is no evil thing to choose. One can only turn away from the good, that is from a greater good to a lesser good (in Augustine's hierarchy) since all things are good. "For when the will abandons what is above itself, and turns to what is lower, it becomes evil--not because that is evil to which it turns, but because the turning itself is wicked."[4]

Evil, then, is the act itself of choosing the lesser good. To Augustine the source of evil is in the free will of persons: "And I strained to perceive what I now heard, that free-will was the cause of our doing ill."[5] Evil was a "perversion of the will, turned aside from...God" to lesser things.[6]

eta* This scene is on right now on IFC

McCarthy is far from constrained to the Christian ethos that Augustine represents (as much as I love his Confessions). Free will is the imposition of order onto an essentially chaotic universe, which is ruled by chance, a flip of a coin.

"Introduce a little anarchy into the world....."

"Heads you live, tails you die."

"Now you're talking."

(Different movie, but you get the idea.)

 

[Jeff Vader]

I can't believe that many people like Inception that much. It was a decent movie but not mind blowing.

It was an unexpectedly original l story, with great performances and awesome visuals. Based on what it's been compared to so far, I'll f'n take it.

And pretentious. And commits the Creative Writing 101 sin of explaining everything to the audience instead of letting the story do it for you.

 

[Josie Maran]

I can't believe that many people like Inception that much. It was a decent movie but not mind blowing.

It was an unexpectedly original l story, with great performances and awesome visuals. Based on what it's been compared to so far, I'll f'n take it.

And pretentious. And commits the Creative Writing 101 sin of explaining everything to the audience instead of letting the story do it for you.

 

[mr fancypants]

This may sound stupid, but my friend called No Country For Old Men "Augustinian." As I look this up, I think it's less a narrative about order and chaos than a meditation on good, evil, and free will. Let me explain:

Maybe this is what my friend is getting at. Remember how frustrated Chigurh gets when the wife tells him not to toss the coin, and that he has a choice to kill her or not to kill her. That he has free will. He gets flustered, angry. He's not evil in his own head; it's fate that determines somebody's living or dying. It's chance. Her pointing out that he has free will is the only time in the movie that he reflects or gets angry. I'm a dilettante, but I thought of him during this thread. So....here goes.

From Augustine on evil.

Augustine observed that evil could not be chosen because there is no evil thing to choose. One can only turn away from the good, that is from a greater good to a lesser good (in Augustine's hierarchy) since all things are good. "For when the will abandons what is above itself, and turns to what is lower, it becomes evil--not because that is evil to which it turns, but because the turning itself is wicked."[4]

Evil, then, is the act itself of choosing the lesser good. To Augustine the source of evil is in the free will of persons: "And I strained to perceive what I now heard, that free-will was the cause of our doing ill."[5] Evil was a "perversion of the will, turned aside from...God" to lesser things.[6]

eta* This scene is on right now on IFC

McCarthy is far from constrained to the Christian ethos that Augustine represents (as much as I love his Confessions). Free will is the imposition of order onto an essentially chaotic universe, which is ruled by chance, a flip of a coin.

"Introduce a little anarchy into the world....."

"Heads you live, tails you die."

"Now you're talking."

(Different movie, but you get the idea.)

You forgot

" Do I really look like a guy with a plan".

That line gets me every time.

 

[Sand]

Hotel Rwanda

Inception

The Avengers (best superhero movie ever, IMO)

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (quite original, funny, and compelling in many spots - a modern classic)

 

[Mr. Mojo]

Slumdog Millionaire

Silver Linings Playbook

Road To Perdition

 

[rockaction]

This may sound stupid, but my friend called No Country For Old Men "Augustinian." As I look this up, I think it's less a narrative about order and chaos than a meditation on good, evil, and free will. Let me explain:

Maybe this is what my friend is getting at. Remember how frustrated Chigurh gets when the wife tells him not to toss the coin, and that he has a choice to kill her or not to kill her. That he has free will. He gets flustered, angry. He's not evil in his own head; it's fate that determines somebody's living or dying. It's chance. Her pointing out that he has free will is the only time in the movie that he reflects or gets angry. I'm a dilettante, but I thought of him during this thread. So....here goes.

From Augustine on evil.

Augustine observed that evil could not be chosen because there is no evil thing to choose. One can only turn away from the good, that is from a greater good to a lesser good (in Augustine's hierarchy) since all things are good. "For when the will abandons what is above itself, and turns to what is lower, it becomes evil--not because that is evil to which it turns, but because the turning itself is wicked."[4]

Evil, then, is the act itself of choosing the lesser good. To Augustine the source of evil is in the free will of persons: "And I strained to perceive what I now heard, that free-will was the cause of our doing ill."[5] Evil was a "perversion of the will, turned aside from...God" to lesser things.[6]

eta* This scene is on right now on IFC

McCarthy is far from constrained to the Christian ethos that Augustine represents (as much as I love his Confessions). Free will is the imposition of order onto an essentially chaotic universe, which is ruled by chance, a flip of a coin.

"Introduce a little anarchy into the world....."

"Heads you live, tails you die."

"Now you're talking."

(Different movie, but you get the idea.)

You forgot

" Do I really look like a guy with a plan".

That line gets me every time.

Not going to argue with possible professors of poli phi (heh), but free will seems like a large, large theme in the movie. Interesting link about moral agency, chance, fate, and free will below.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Themes_and_analysis_of_No_Country_for_Old_Men_(film)#cite_note-Conard-1

eta* no sarcasm about the professor stuff -- I thought one or two of you might teach it.

 

[Josie Maran]

The Avengers (best superhero movie ever, IMO)

Skinniest kid at fat camp.

 

[msommer]

The Avengers (best superhero movie ever, IMO)

Skinniest kid at fat camp.

Bilge water.

 

[msommer]

I can't believe that many people like Inception that much. It was a decent movie but not mind blowing.

It was an unexpectedly original l story, with great performances and awesome visuals. Based on what it's been compared to so far, I'll f'n take it.

It reminded me a lot of the matrix. Don't get me wrong if was decent and I love Leonardo. He is one of the best actors.

Here is a movie I loved how about Shutter Island

The book was awesome. Don't think I dare see the movie

 

[Sand]

The Avengers (best superhero movie ever, IMO)

Skinniest kid at fat camp.

Bilge water.

You must have been traumatized during your time at camp. Condolences.

 

[Josie Maran]

The Avengers (best superhero movie ever, IMO)

Skinniest kid at fat camp.

Bilge water.

You must have been traumatized during your time at camp. Condolences.

I tried watching it. Bailed after a half hour or so. Pretty sure that was the last effort I've made at one of those flicks. Unless there's naked Jessica Alba, I will never watch a superhero movie again.

Actually, even if there's Alba nudity, I'll just download those clips...no need to subject myself to such terribleness.

 

[cstu]

Any decent story is going to be open to different sorts of intelligent interpretation. Cormac McCarthy is way beyond decent.

This. I'm actually surprised no one has mentioned The Road.

It definitely deserves to be in the conversation.

Forgot about that one, agreed.

 

[flapgreen]

Now that people have mentioned it, Zero Dark Thirty and The Hurt Locker both deserve mention. I walked out of the theatre after Hurt Locker almost shaking, effusively praising it. Of course, it was a matinee, and it was in NY, which always gives me sensory stimulus, so that may have done it. But it was such an unexpected surprise. I walked in kinda wondering about my friend's choice, and walked out of there completely sold.

I'll have to see Children of Men.

And genre-wise, if you'll forgive me, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, which was mentioned before, is probably the sanest, funniest, most non-delusional rom-com ever, IMO.

Agreed on all of this

 

[flapgreen]

The Bourne Identity

 

[KarmaPolice]

I've been wracking my brain from a conversation earlier and really can't think of any. There are a lot of good movies out there and plenty of spectacular performances that I can think of, but for the life of me I can't think of anything that really blew me away.

Help me out. Name a movie--no matter the genre--that I can't beat with 5 or maybe even 10 better movies from the 90's.

is there a reason you are skipping movies from 2000 - 2003?

 

[Insein]

The "anals" of comedy. :snicker:

More times I laughed than watching Forgetting Sarah Marshall.