I understand Mr. Gentile’s nominations for best films of the past decade but I feel that he lacked any gumption as he cherry-picked from the Academy’s own shortlist. My picks for the most overlooked films of the last decade that deserve to be on Mr. Gentile’s list follow:
1. Master and Commander (2004): Such suspense! and a visit to the Galapagos headline this marathon of sea-battles and below-deck camaraderie.
2. Passion of the Christ (2004): So graphic and so redemptive.
3. Starship Troopers 2 (2004): Any continuation of the best movie ever is welcome, except of course Starship Troopers 3 (2008) which just sucked.
4. The Hurt Locker (2009): Here Mr. Gentile and I are in agreement: It’s hard to have a semblance of a story or character development when your budget is $18 million, but The Hurt Locker succeeds with just enough money left over to maybe have a message.
5. Paranormal Activity (2009): Another low-budget favorite, this film was big on the screaming and suspense.
6. Iron Man (2008): In contrast to the previous two films on my list Iron Man had a big budget and big talent. Robert Downey Jr. stomps ass and scores lots of babes. Does anyone know why this film wasn’t a winner?
7. Spanglish (2004): When I first saw this movie I was reminded of Eugene O’Neill’s classic Long Day’s Journey Into Night: a mother addicted to drugs, immigrant workers and a loving father. I also knew after seeing this movie that Adam Sandler was going to be recognized as belonging to the highest echelon of American actors.
8. Cloverfield (2008): It’s hard to make a movie succeed when half of your audience is puking due to motion sickness. Then again, it’s hard to do that without 3-D these days. A synergy of several successful thrillers, Cloverfield is revolutionary and gives us insight into what we can expect from films and marketing strategies in the future. Despite all the trouble, a movie we are not likely to forget soon.
9. Youth in Revolt (2009): Name another time when an actor has played two characters more skillfully than Michael Cera.
10. The Lake House (2006): Lovers stuck in two different times! A mail-box which doubles as a time machine! Keenu Reeves!
Sincerely,
Matt Baum
Mr. Baum. I appreciate your opinion on films you feel have been overlooked by organizations such as the Academy and other studios. I also appreciate that you are responding to my article, as I enjoy having readers agree/disagree.
The beauty of cinema, is that everyone views things differently. The toughest job of a critic is not to watch a film, or even necessarily write about it, but it is to present each film listed with an argument.
Now, the films you have picked, first of all, show a bit of a contradiction in your writing. Master and Commander was nominated for more Oscars than The Wrestler, Lost In Translation, Sideways – and as nominated for most of the films which I mentioned.
Many of the films you listed I believe are good films, but many of them are also bottom drawer like Starship Troopers 2, and there are not many people who would agree with you on that one except for your tiny cult fanbase that has some sort of affinity for that kind of garbage. But to put that on a top ten list of the decade is not only absurd – it is a great injustice to the many other highly qualified films of the decade.
I’d like to let you know that I did not choose films because they were nominated for Academy Awards or won Oscars, I chose films because I felt they were simply that good. And your list does not seem to have any obscure titles at all – in fact, it’s worse because your list has titles that are intending to be obscure and are just plain low in quality.
“Passion of the Christ” – I’m not with you on at all, maybe that’s my Jewish heritage. “Apocalypto” almost made the cut if that makes you feel any better…
I appreciate your opinions, and I appreciate your response, but if we were to take a poll of whose top ten list is more not, accurate, but acceptable, I think that there would be absolutely no competition. But, I’m always up for an adventure.
The Lake House?!?!
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The Lake House!?!?
Mr. Baum: I appreciate your sense of humor and your satirical take on the “Best of the Decade”. It is unfortunate that the other commentors did not appreciate your sense of humor. Thanks for the laugh!