Sunday, December 27, 2009

YMD and Friends Film Bonanza part 13


Edgar Rojas is one of filthiest people I know (humor-wise, I mean, he's actually very well groomed). He also has more Criterion DVDs than anyone I know, which at least in some way probably qualifies him to make this list. When not tweeting about George Romero, Edgar is one half of boogie fanatics Team Rojas, whose excellent TR4PL mix you should download or stream here. Rojas, let's do it:


I am excluding Lord of The Rings, because I suppose it's not fair to count them as one film. But, I do believe they should be in the top 10!

Anyway here goes!

10. The Proposition dir. John Hillcoat (2006)
I caught this at 10:45 AM in 2006, because that was the only showing left at the Angelika before they removed it. Kind of a tough one to stomach so early in the day, but alas I was blown away. Nick Cave (of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds fame) wrote the screenplay and scored this too. I love westerns and this is the best western I've seen in a long time, even if it's set in Australia.

9. Shaun of the Dead dir. Edgar Wright (2004)
I avoided this movie for a while. I'd say a couple of years after its initial release. I guess I wasn't really sure if it would be as funny and as impeccably shot/directed as it is. It's a love letter to zombie movie fans like me, because Simon Pegg and director Edgar Wright are real nerds. His second film Hot Fuzz is also pretty amazing.

8. Let The Right One In (Låt den rätte komma in) dir. Tomas Alfredson (2008)
It was tough to decide which vampire movie from this decade was more deserving to be in the top 10. The other choice being Thirst. In the end I chose this, because this had an actual vampire in it. Actual, meaning it followed the lore that surrounds them. It's just such a pretty movie and the violent acts are quick but surprising because it's a little cute swedish girl committing them.

7. Oldboy dir. Park Chan-wook (2005) (SPOILER WARNING - ed.)
I mentioned Thirst previously, which is directed by the same director as this movie. Oldboy is the second movie in his "Vengeance Trilogy", but probably the best one. This was my introduction to Chan-wook Park. It was so violent and strangely perverse (he bones his own daughter), but so stylized too. I drew parallels to Tarantino, but this is a movie Tarantino can't ever make. The dude has a style of his own, all his movies are worth watching.

6. Punch-Drunk Love dir. Paul Thomas Anderson (2002)
Adam Sandler is in this? He's playing a serious role? He's actually really good? YES. Ok, I'll admit, P.T. Anderson made another movie more recently in this decade which is pretty spectacular, but this holds a place in my heart. Pretty much every girl (that I've dated who doesn't know this movie) that I've tried to convince to see this, hates it. It's a love story, yeah, not a conventional one, but ultimately the dude gets the girl.

5. American Psycho dir. Mary Harron (2000)
Freshman year of college Sarah Drescher called me Patrick Bateman once. She is the only girl I know who might love this as much as I do.

4. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind dir. Michel Gondry (2004)
Hey, check out my "indie" movies list. This one's on it. Just like everyone else's. Michel Gondry put out a movie that still kills me every time I see it. My roommate said it best when he saw me watching it after a break-up: "Dude, that's fucking masochism."

3. The Royal Tenenbaums dir. Wes Anderson (2001)
There are mad Hollywood actors in this, yeah, but man they're so good. I wish Gene Hackman as Royal Tenenbaum was my dad. Way to make a dysfunctional and frankly depressing family likable, Wes Anderson.

2. In The Mood For Love (Fa yeung nin wa) dir. Wong Kar-Wai (2000)
I bought this on DVD without ever seeing it. I love when you do that and the movie turns out to be great. This movie holds the highest spot in that department.

1. Dancer in the Dark dir. Lars von Trier (2000)
Yo, Björk is in this! She's acting. It's the most heart-breaking thing I've probably ever seen. I shed man tears the first time I saw this. Gave myself a 6 year break and saw it recently. Shed some more man tears.

No comments: