Zodiac; the best film of the past 10 years? If not, what is?

kop-end

padraig.od wrote: »

Thats like saying your unicorns are more believable that my dragons! Both are make believe universes, I don't think the Batman series should be credited as better films are they are more "realistic".

Anyway Nolan loses a lot of credit due to the brain-dead 3rd Dark Knight film and how *unbelievably* stupid the Batman character is.

The 3rd Nolan Batman is atrocious, very poor finish for the trilogy. reminds me of Coppola's poor finish to the Godfather Trilogy.

kop-end

kop-end wrote: »

The 3rd Nolan Batman is atrocious, very poor finish for the trilogy. reminds me of Coppola's poor finish to the Godfather Trilogy.

I enjoy all the Nolan Batmans and can see where you are coming from. However as much as I love the Dark Knight, I think it got a better reception & exposure because of the death of Heath Ledger along with how good he was in the movie. There has been no superhero movie like it because of those circumstances and probably never will be again in my opinion.

kop-end

Deleted User wrote: »

I enjoy all the Nolan Batmans and can see where you are coming from. However as much as I love the Dark Knight, I think it got a better reception & exposure because of the death of Heath Ledger along with how good he was in the movie. There has been no superhero movie like it because of those circumstances and probably never will be again in my opinion.

Thats a fair point, never thought about it in that way. Maybe it gets a bit more kudos because of the factors surrounding it (Ledger), but it is still is, in my opinion, alot better that the 3rd in the series.

I was a bit dissapointed with the lastest Superman, there was so much potential and the storyline had alot of good points but it just seemed so disjointed....

kop-end

kop-end wrote: »

I was a bit dissapointed with the lastest Superman, there was so much potential and the storyline had alot of good points but it just seemed so disjointed....

Literally the biggest disappointment to a movie I can remember. The trailers were all so epic.... if only we knew they were the best parts of the ****ing movie.

Adamantium

kop-end wrote: »

The 3rd Nolan Batman is atrocious, very poor finish for the trilogy. reminds me of Coppola's poor finish to the Godfather Trilogy.

The whole 8 years later setting killed all the propulsive forward momentum that the Dark Knight ended on for the characters. Batman racing into the light on the Bat-pod. Boom.

The early rumours were that 3rd film would pick up immediately were the 2nd ended. Batman being hunted down with little resources and evading the police was such a delicious scenario. This was the movie I was dying to see.

It (The Dark Knight) is the only superhero movie that dared to make the statement:
"Heroism is good but in the end, it will cost you everything you hold dear" and for what really a lie at best? What was in for the individual?

Everybody pretty much lost.

I actually didn't want the story to go full circle for the trilogy and would have preferred a more individual non connected films like the 2nd. Nothing bugs me more than studios having to be in the "trilogy mindset" and circular storytelling in the last decade.
If Nolan's Batman movies were made in the 80's we'd have 5-6 movies all starring Christian Bale and that evolving world, there's no sense of age or moving beyond the prototype hero journey. Hero's stories are far more interesting when the move beyond the embroyonic stage, but studios rarely let it get to that stage before hitting the reset button

Nerdlingr

Yeah, The Dark Knight was the 'Empire strikes back' of the Nolan trilogy. Great Film. Unfortunately 'Rises' was 'Return of the Jedi'.

MilanPan!c

Nolan is really overrated IMO:

Memento: Bleugh (to be clear - I found it pretentious and preposterous)
Inception - Pretty good, but not the best movie ever, though his best movie
Batman 1 - Dull
Batman 2 - Best of the bunch, but again, not the best movie ever
Batman 3 - Overly long and incredibly dour and self-aggrandising

I actually like the Prestige, but boy it needs a lot of fat trimmed off... he needs a new editor IMO.

I also realise that most people disagree with me. These may be good movies I dislike. .. ..

Looper007

MilanPan!c wrote: »

Nolan is really overrated IMO:

Memento: Bleugh (to be clear - I found it pretentious and preposterous)
Inception - Pretty good, but not the best movie ever, though his best movie
Batman 1 - Dull
Batman 2 - Best of the bunch, but again, not the best movie ever
Batman 3 - Overly long and incredibly dour and self-aggrandising

I actually like the Prestige, but boy it needs a lot of fat trimmed off... he needs a new editor IMO.

I also realise that most people disagree with me. These may be good movies I dislike. .. ..

Complete utter tosh, Nolan's a genius to call Batman Begins dull and Dark knight not the best movie, seriously you need to hand in your cinefile card. Memento and The Pretige are great films too. Inception is a great film too, sadly too many people don't want to work their brains in the cinema instead want explosions and simple plot lines. The Whole Nolan is overrated thing is really getting tiresome now.

Best films of the past ten years imo

1. There will be blood (by a country mile)
2. Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind
3. The Dark Knight
4. The Diving Bell and The Butterfly
5. Drive
6. Children of Men
7. Sideways
8. Hunger
9. No country for Old Men
10. The Lives of Others

MilanPan!c

Looper007 wrote: »

Complete utter tosh, Nolan's a genius to call Batman Begins dull and Dark knight not the best movie, seriously you need to hand in your cinefile card. Memento and The Pretige are great films too. Inception is a great film too, sadly too many people don't want to work their brains in the cinema instead want explosions and simple plot lines. The Whole Nolan is overrated thing is really getting tiresome now.

Best films of the past ten years imo

1. There will be blood (by a country mile)
2. Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind
3. The Dark Knight
4. The Diving Bell and The Butterfly
5. Drive
6. Children of Men
7. Sideways
8. Hunger
9. No country for Old Men
10. The Lives of Others

Some of those are great (Like Children of Men) and others I was lukewarm on (Sideways and Batman). The others are somewhere in between IMO.

I've never really understood the whole Nolan thing, to be honest. I've seen all of them in the cinema, and always expect to be impressed, but am usually just a bit annoyed or underwhelmed.

Sure, there's lots of things I love that others hate.

Mardy Bum

MilanPan!c wrote: »

Nolan is really overrated IMO:

Memento: Bleugh (to be clear - I found it pretentious and preposterous)

It's definitely not pretentious. The average New York indie flick could be described as pretentious. Frances Ha could be described as pretentious (I think the opposite). Memento is definitely not a pretentious film. Maybe tedious?

Looper007

MilanPan!c wrote: »

Some of those are great (Like Children of Men) and others I was lukewarm on (Sideways and Batman). The others are somewhere in between IMO.

I've never really understood the whole Nolan thing, to be honest. I've seen all of them in the cinema, and always expect to be impressed, but am usually just a bit annoyed or underwhelmed.

Sure, there's lots of things I love that others hate.

I'm a big fan of Nolan's just I find it weird when some people dislike his work :P. A bit like Paul Thomas Anderson, Shane Meadows and Nicholas Winding Refn too just directors work I feel very strong about.

I love Sideways, the best film Woody Allen never made. Love Children of Men really just a jaw dropping experience and Clive Owen's best performance to date.

Looper007

Mardy Bum wrote: »

It's definitely not pretentious. The average New York indie flick could be described as pretentious. Frances Ha could be described as pretentious (I think the opposite). Memento is definitely not a pretentious film. Maybe tedious?

Memento isn't tedious, it's a masterpiece and a smart one that actually makes it viewer think.

Mardy Bum

Looper007 wrote: »

Memento isn't tedious, it's a masterpiece and a smart one that actually makes it viewer think.

I was just trying to find a different word. I don't think it is tedious. I enjoyed it too.

poundapunnet

Looper007 wrote: »

I'm a big fan of Nolan's just I find it weird when some people dislike his work :P. A bit like Paul Thomas Anderson, Shane Meadows and Nicholas Winding Refn too just directors work I feel very strong about.

I love Sideways, the best film Woody Allen never made. Love Children of Men really just a jaw dropping experience and Clive Owen's best performance to date.

The "making of" stuff on the DVD (dunno about BR, is it on BR?) is really good too, oooh dem long takes, yeah baby!

I think Nolan is pretty good, it was pretty annoying when he was being talked about like the second coming of Christ a couple of years back though.

Looper007

poundapunnet wrote: »

The "making of" stuff on the DVD (dunno about BR, is it on BR?) is really good too, oooh dem long takes, yeah baby!

I think Nolan is pretty good, it was pretty annoying when he was being talked about like the second coming of Christ a couple of years back though.

I think any director been talked about the second coming is a little OTT, but Nolan is awesome at what he does and he has a huge following cause he knows how to entertain with his films. The only director that tops him for me is Paul Thomas Anderson.

I must pick up that Blu Ray, it was released a year or two back I believe.

MilanPan!c

Mardy Bum wrote: »

It's definitely not pretentious. The average New York indie flick could be described as pretentious. Frances Ha could be described as pretentious (I think the opposite). Memento is definitely not a pretentious film. Maybe tedious?

Both even.

To me it seems like a simple little narrative trick, without much else, but it treats itself like it's very important film making. As do it's fans.

Anyway - I'm glad people like it; it's not for me though.

Snake Plisken

I really don't get P T Anderson outside of Boogie Nights, I really find his films pretty ordinary, hey but then again I'm in the Nolan is GOD camp :-)

Looper007

Snake Plisken wrote: »

I really don't get P T Anderson outside of Boogie Nights, I really find his films pretty ordinary, hey but then again I'm in the Nolan is GOD camp :-)

They are the only two directors out their right now for me that their films are experiences that you have to see on the big screen.

He's the cinema version of Radiohead is P T Anderson, that's why he chooses Johnny Greenwood to compose for him. His films become more challenging as he get's older, There will be Blood and The Master aren't slap on the back make it easy on the audience type of films, they make you question and think, no easy answers . Those images on screen are just out of this world plus he's the nearest to a genius Cinema has in America.

Mardy Bum

Looper007 wrote: »

They are the only two directors out their right now for me that their films are experiences that you have to see on the big screen.

He's the cinema version of Radiohead is P T Anderson, that's why he chooses Johnny Greenwood to compose for him. His films become more challenging as he get's older, There will be Blood and The Master aren't slap on the back make it easy on the audience type of films, they make you question and think, no easy answers . Those images on screen are just out of this world plus he's the nearest to a genius Cinema has in America.

David Lynch called and wants his title back.

Looper007

Mardy Bum wrote: »

David Lynch called and wants his title back.

I won't argue with you over that but I just like Anderson's work far more interesting. I never felt Lynch never topped Elephant man or Blue Velvet although I loved Wild at Heart and Mulholland Drive is great too but neither came close to the perfection of Velvet for me. I actually think Twin Peaks Season 1 and half of season 2 are his best work. Just different strokes for different folks I guess.

Mousewar

Christopher Nolan is great at what he does but what he does is Hollywood blockbusters. They're better than most of that thrash but that's hardly the biggest complement in the world. Inception was a major letdown - has that man ever actually had a dream in his life? He should try one one time and see what they're actually like.

Personally, I thought his best film was Insomnia.

MilanPan!c

Looper007 wrote: »

I won't argue with you over that but I just like Anderson's work far more interesting. I never felt Lynch never topped Elephant man or Blue Velvet although I loved Wild at Heart and Mulholland Drive is great too but neither came close to the perfection of Velvet for me. I actually think Twin Peaks Season 1 and half of season 2 are his best work. Just different strokes for different folks I guess.

I basically agree (aside from the fact that I disliked Mullholland Drive greatly).

Lynch is basically self-parody at this point.

PTA still makes exceptional movies, and really, was always a much better story teller.

D-FENS

Surprised Sin City isn’t mentioned, tempted to say that as no one else has!

Poor list really but if I had to pick from that I would say The Departed, although tempted by Man on Wire as it was an unexpected pleasure from start to finish.
Also loved Drive, Sideways, Dead Man’s Shoes, London to Brighton, Shawn of the Dead, the Wrestler, Irreversible and the French horror Ils(2006)
Also have to mention the 2007 remake of Funny Games, no real difference to the ’97 original, but I thought Michael Pitt was disturbingly brilliant in it.

I know that’s about 10 films, I can never pick one best in lists like this..

youtube!

Holy Cow I just saw a movie that should be right up there SHUTTER ISLAND.

Very surprised just how brilliant it was, great acting amazing storyline and more twists and turns than a large twisty turny thing, very disturbing and thought provoking, watch it I promise you will be impressed,!!

(bear in mind I rated the Conjuring)

Adamantium

Mousewar wrote: »

Christopher Nolan is great at what he does but what he does is Hollywood blockbusters. They're better than most of that thrash but that's hardly the biggest complement in the world. Inception was a major letdown - has that man ever actually had a dream in his life? He should try one one time and see what they're actually like.

Personally, I thought his best film was Insomnia.

While I loved Inception, Lost in Translation premise felt more dreamlike,eery and random with its alien Tokyo/Japanese culture (to westerners) at least.

Corholio

Mousewar wrote: »

Christopher Nolan is great at what he does but what he does is Hollywood blockbusters. They're better than most of that thrash but that's hardly the biggest complement in the world. Inception was a major letdown - has that man ever actually had a dream in his life? He should try one one time and see what they're actually like.

Personally, I thought his best film was Insomnia.

I really liked Inception, but I know it's been divisive. However criticising Nolan because he apparently doesn't know how to dream has to be the funniest criticism of a director I've ever heard. You do realise the whole point of it was it was the opposite of what normal dreams are? in that you could control aspects of it.

Frank Black

Expect I'll be in a small minority with this, but I thought Cloud Atlas was fantastic.
Yes, it's a complete mess at times, and I watched it for long periods without any clue as to what was happening on the screen, but I thought it was an incredibly ambitious film, whose failures were to do with that ambition as opposed to sticking to a tried and tested formula.

I hadn't read the novel prior to seeing it (I have since) which may have made a difference.

It was certainly a movie which stuck in my head for a long time afterwards. I'm plaiing on watching it again shortly so I'll have to see if I have as much love for it after a second viewing.

Mousewar

Corholio wrote: »

I really liked Inception, but I know it's been divisive. However criticising Nolan because he apparently doesn't know how to dream has to be the funniest criticism of a director I've ever heard. You do realise the whole point of it was it was the opposite of what normal dreams are? in that you could control aspects of it.

That's the whole point of the film??

All I know is that a film based on dreams should have scenes that are even vaguely dreamlike, not scenes that are exactly like real life except you have magical powers.
Only God Forgives, despite its flaws, was much better at capturing a dreamlike reality. As are most David Lynch films.

MfMan

Any support at all for The Prestige? Thought it was a superb production all round.

Frank Lee Midere

MilanPan!c wrote: »

Both even.

To me it seems like a simple little narrative trick, without much else, but it treats itself like it's very important film making. As do it's fans.

Anyway - I'm glad people like it; it's not for me though.

Since movies aren't filmed in sequence Memento is not even technically difficult. People just had to work things out in their heads afterwards and that made em feel smart. ( Actually chronologically it falls down in sequence).

And continuing the discussion I love Lynch and PTA and adore Mullholland Drive.

This voting list and discussion is all too American though.