All That Jazz


Year-ender: 600 Films for 2011
December 31, 2011, 6:46 am
Filed under: Uncategorized

 

LIST OF FILMS INCLUDED IN THE MONTAGE:

1. Private Benjamin (1980) – Howard Zieff
2. Beauty and the Beast (1991) – Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise
3. The French Connection (1971) – William Friedkin
4. Steel Magnolias (1989) – Herbert Ross
5. Bend It Like Beckham (2002) – Gurinder Chadha
6. Shine (1996) – Scott Hicks
7. Jaws (1975) – Steven Spielberg
8. About A Boy (2002) – Chris and Paul Weitz
9. Dragnet (1987) – Tom Mankiewicz
10. Planes, Trains, and Automobiles – John Hughes
11. The Terminator (1984) – James Cameron
12. My Best Friend’s Wedding (1997) – P.J. Hogan
13. Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999) – Michael Patrick Jann
14. Airplane! (1980) – Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, and Jerry Zucker
15. An Unmarried Woman (1978) – Paul Mazursky
16. The Frighteners (1996) – Peter Jackson
17. Just One Of The Guys (1985) – Lisa Gottlieb
18. Norma Rae (1979) – Martin Ritt
19. The Evil Dead (1981) – Sam Raimi
20. Evil Dead 2 (1987) – Sam Raimi
21. All That Jazz (1979) – Bob Fosse
22. Dirty Harry (1971) – Don Siegel
23. American Graffiti (1973) – George Lucas
24. Harvey (1950) – Henry Koster
25. Rocky (1976) – John G. Avildsen
26. The King’s Speech (2010) – Tom Hooper
27. Rabbit Hole (2010) – John Cameron Mitchell
28. Le Notti di Cabiria/Nights of Cabiria (1957) – Federico Fellini
29. Kung Fu Hustle (2004) – Stephen Chow
30. Leaving Las Vegas (1995) – Mike Figgis
31. Roman Holiday (1953) – William Wyler
32. Army Of Darkness (1992) – Sam Raimi
33. Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid (1969) – George Roy Hill
34. Being There (1979) – Hal Ashby
35. Awakenings (1990) – Penny Marshall
36. Parents (1989) – Bob Balaban
37. Good Morning Vietnam (1987) – Barry Levinson
38. 127 Hours (2010) – Danny Boyle
39. Midnight Cowboy (1969) – John Schlesinger
40. Burlesque (2010) – Steve Antin
41. Black Swan (2010) – Darren Aronofsky
42. Rudy (1993) – David Anspaugh
43. Mean Girls 2 (2011) – Melanie Mayron
44. What Ever Happened To Baby Jane? (1962) – Robert Aldrich
45. All About Eve (1950) – Joseph L. Mankiewicz
46. Another Year (2010) – Mike Leigh
47. Birds Of America (2008) – Craig Lucas
48. An American In Paris (1951) – Vincente Minnelli
49. Dr. Strangelove: Or How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb (1964) – Stanley Kubrick
50. Alive (1993) – Frank Marshall
51. Lilies Of The Field (1963) – Ralph Nelson
52. Feast (2005) – John Gulager
53. Imitation Of Life (1959) – Douglas Sirk
54. The Magnificent Seven (1960) – John Sturges
55. In The Company Of Men (1997) – Neil LaBute
56. Never Let Me Go (2010) – Mark Romanek
57. The Miracle Worker (1962) – Arthur Penn
58. Gattaca (1997) – Andrew Niccol
59. Wall Street (1987) – Oliver Stone
60. The Fisher King (1991) – Terry Gilliam
61. The ‘Burbs (1989) – Joe Dante
62. Judgment At Nuremberg (1961) – Stanley Kramer
63. From Here To Eternity (1953) – Fred Zinnemann
64. Reality Bites (1994) – Ben Stiller
65. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) – John Ford
66. The Paper Chase (1973) – James Bridges
67. Deliverance (1972) – John Boorman
68. MASH (1970) – Robert Altman
69. Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969) – Paul Mazursky
70. Sophie’s Choice (1982) – Alan J. Pakula
71. The Gods Must Be Crazy (1980) – Jamie Uys
72. The Hustler (1961) – Robert Rossen
73. The Philadelphia Story (1940) – George Cukor
74. Saturday Night Fever (1977) – John Badham
75. Double Indemnity (1944) – Billy Wilder
76. The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) – Anthony Minghella
77. Marathon Man (1976) – John Schlesinger
78. Oliver! (1968) – Carol Reed
79. Blowup (1966) – Michelangelo Antonioni
80. First Love/A Little Thing Called Love (2010) – Putthiphong Promsakha na Sakon Nakhon and Wasin Pokpong
81. Brazil (1985) – Terry Gilliam
82. The Birds (1963) – Alfred Hitchcock
83. Europa Europa (1990) – Agnieska Holland
84. East Of Eden (1955) – Elia Kazan
85. Mary Poppins (1964) – Robert Stevenson
86. Cape Fear (1962) – J. Lee Thompson
87. Rebel Without A Cause (1955) – Nicholas Ray
88. Babette Gaestebud/Babette’s Feast (1987) – Gabriel Axel
89. Lili (1953) – Charles Walters
90. St. Elmo’s Fire (1985) – Joel Schumacher
91. Swimming With Sharks (1994) – George Huang
92. Rob Roy (1995) – Michael Caton-Jones
93. 9 Songs (2004) – Michael Winterbottom
94. Strangers On A Train (1951) – Alfred Hitchcock
95. Badlands (1973) – Terence Malick
96. Glengarry Glen Ross (1992) – James Foley
97. I Confess (1953) – Alfred Hitchcock
98. A Woman Under The Influence (1974) – John Cassavetes
99. Sabrina (1954) – Billy Wilder
100. Gloria (1980) – John Cassavetes
101. James Dean (2001) – Mark Rydell
102. Missing (1982) – Costa-Gavras
103. Picnic At Hanging Rock (1975) – Peter Weir
104. Lola Rennt/Run Lola Run (1998) – Tom Tykwer
105. The Night Of The Hunter (1955) – Charles Laughton
106. Midnight Express (1978) – Alan Parker
107. The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert (1994) – Stephan Elliott
108. Barton Fink (1991) – Joel and Ethan Coen
109. Hud (1963) – Martin Ritt
110. It’s A Wonderful Life (1946) – Frank Capra
111. 12 Angry Men (1957) – Sidney Lumet
112. Anchors Aweigh (1945) – George Stanley II
113. The Milagro Beanfield War (1989) – Robert Redford
114. The Lost Weekend (1945) – Billy Wilder
115. North By Northwest (1959) – Alfred Hitchcock
116. Sullivan’s Travels (1941) – Preston Sturges
117. My Life Without Me (2003) – Isabel Coixet
118. The Sure Thing (1985) – Rob Reiner
119. Hoosiers (1985) – David Anspaugh
120. The Seven Year Itch (1955) – Billy Wilder
121. True Grit (2010) – Joel and Ethan Coen
122. The Ox-Bow Incident (1943) – William A. Wellman
123. Rope (1948) – Alfred Hitchcock
124. A Place In The Sun (1951) – George Stevens
125. Chinatown (1974) – Roman Polanski
126. The Wild One (1953) – Laslo Benedek
127. 7 Ans/7 Years (2006) – Jean-Pascal Hattu
128. Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner (1967) – Stanley Kramer
129. Giant (1956) – George Stevens
130. Straw Dogs (1971) – Sam Peckinpah
131. Thelma And Louise (1991) – Ridley Scott
132. Ladri Di Biciclette/Bicycle Thieves (1948) – Vittorio de Sica
133. Bad Day At Black Rock (1955) – John Sturges
134. Bullitt (1968) – Peter Yates
135. The Thing (1982) – John Carpenter
136. The Maltese Falcon (1941) – John Huston
137. The Producers (1968) – Mel Brooks
138. Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974) – Martin Scorcese
139. Au Revoir Les Enfants/Goodbye, Children (1987) – Louis Malle
140. Red River (1948) – Howard Hawks
141. Young Frankenstein (1974) – Mel Brooks
142. Pillow Talk (1959) – Michael Gordon
143. Cocoon (1985) – Ron Howard
144. Antonia’s Line (1995) – Marlene Garris
145. Nashville (1975) – Robert Altman
146. Scent Of A Woman (1992) – Martin Brest
147. The Killing (1956) – Stanley Kubrick
148. Shirley Valentine (1989) – Lewis Gilbert
149. Mildred Pierce (1945) – Michael Curtiz
150. My Own Private Idaho (1991) – Gus Van Sant
151. Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? (1966) – Mike Nichols
152. Melvin And Howard (1980) – Jonathan Demme
153. Never Been Kissed (1999) – Raja Gosnell
154. Paths Of Glory (1957) – Stanley Kubrick
155. Breakfast At Tiffany’s (1961) – Blake Edwards
156. Sling Blade (1996) – Billy Bob Thornton
157. Get Over It (2001) – Tommy O’Haver
158. The Defiant Ones (1958) – Stanley Kramer
159. Sounder (1972) – Martin Ritt
160. Ondskan/Evil (2003) – Mikael Hafstrom
161. Marty (1955) – Delbert Mann
162. Fahrenheit 451 (1966) – Francois Truffaut
163. Krampack/Nico And Dani (2000) – Cesc Gay
164. Days Of Heaven (1978) – Terence Malick
165. Breaking The Waves (1996) – Lars Von Trier
166. The Apartment (1960) – Billy Wilder
167. Bacheha-ye Aseman/Children Of Heaven (1997) – Majid Majidi
168. Flipped (2010) – Rob Reiner
169. Persona (1966) – Ingmar Bergman
170. The Wild Bunch (1969) – Sam Peckinpah
171. Adam (2009) – Max Mayer
172. Belle De Jour (1967) – Luis Bunuel
173. All The President’s Men (1976) – Alan J. Pakula
174. Parenthood (1989) – Ron Howard
175. See No Evil, Hear No Evil (1989) – Arthur Hiller
176. Les Quatre Cents Coups/The 400 Blows (1959) – Francois Truffaut
177. Back To School (1986) – Allan Merter
178. Dream A Little Dream (1989) – Marc Rocco
179. Barefoot In The Park (1967) – Gene Saks
180. La Ciociara/Two Women (1960) – Vittorio de Sica
181. The Dirty Dozen (1967) – Robert Aldrich
182. The Lady Eve (1941) – Preston Sturges
183. The Chase (1966) – Arthur Penn
184. Grosse Pointe Blank (1997) – George Armitage
185. The Ladykillers (1955) – Alexander Mackendrick
186. Brief Encounter (1945) – David Lean
187. Topkapi (1964) – Jules Dassin
188. Coffy (1973) – Jack Hill
189. A Star Is Born (1954) – George Cukor
190. Class (1983) – Lewis John Carlino
191. Lifeboat (1944) – Alfred Hitchcock
192. Withnail And I (1987) – Bruce Robinson
193. Shane (1953) – George Stevens
194. Thunderbolt And Lightfoot (1974) – Michael Cimino
195. Detective Story (1951) – William Wyler
196. Bubba Ho-Tep (2002) – Don Coscarelli
197. Pote Tin Kyriaki/Never On Sunday (1960) – Jules Dassin
198. The Red Shoes (1948) – Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger
199. Mask (1985) – Peter Bogdanovich
200. Les Vacences De Monsieur Hulot/Mr. Hulot’s Holiday (1953) – Jacques Tati
201. The Searchers (1956) – John Ford
202. The Big Chill (1983) – Lawrence Kasdan
203. Fucking Amal/Show Me Love (1998) – Lukas Moodyson
204. Born On The Fourth Of July (1989) – Oliver Stone
205. A Touch Of Class (1973) – Melvin Frank
206. A Chorus Line (1985) – Richard Attenborough
207. The African Queen (1951) – John Huston
208. Gilda (1946) – Charles Vidor
209. Toto Le Heros/Toto The Hero (1991) – Jaco Van Dormael
210. The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) – Alfred Hitchcock
211. Ostre Sledovane Vlaky/Closely Watched Trains (1966) – Jiri Menzel
212. Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964) – Robert Aldrich
213. Life As A House (2001) – Irvin Winkler
214. Borstal Boy (2000) – Peter Sheridan
215. The World According To Garp (1982) – George Roy Hill
216. The Mission (1986) – Roland Joffe
217. The Spy Who Came In From The Cold (1965) – Martin Ritt
218. Bronenosets Potyomkin/Battleship Potemkin (1925) – Sergei M. Eisenstein
219. Sorry, Wrong Number (1948) – Anatole Litvak
220. Mr. Smith Goes To Washington (1939) – Frank Capra
221. Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002) – Phillip Noyce
222. Chung Hing Sam Lam/Chungking Express (1994) – Wong Kar Wai
223. Source Code (2011) – Duncan Jones
224. Rio Bravo (1959) – Howard Hawks
225. Bayaw/Brothers-In-Law (2009) – Monti Parungao
226. Alice In Den Stadten/Alice In The Cities (1974) – Wim Wenders
227. Contact (1997) – Robert Zemeckis
228. L’enfant/The Child (2005) – Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne
229. The Lady Vanishes (1938) – Alfred Hitchcock
230. I Am Number Four (2011) – D.J. Caruso
231. The Bank Dick (1940) – Edward F. Cline
232. Seraphine (2009) – Martin Provost
233. The Asphalt Jungle (1950) – John Huston
234. Salmer Fra Kjokkenet/Kitchen Stories (2003) – Bent Hamer
235. The Adjustment Bureau (2011) – George Nolfi
236. The Killers (1946) – Robert Siodmak
237. Paul (2011) – Greg Mottola
238. Sonny (2002) – Nicolas Cage
239. The Towering Inferno (1974) – John Guillermin
240. Father Of The Bride (1950) – Vincente Minnelli
241. Murder On The Orient Express (1974) – Sidney Lumet
242. Le Souffle Au Coeur/Murmur Of The Heart (1971) – Louis Malle
243. Diary Of A Wimpy Kid 2: Rodrick Rules (2011) – David Bowers
244. Guys And Dolls (1955) – Joseph L. Mankiewicz
245. The Manchurian Candidate (1962) – John Frankenheimer
246. Masculin Feminin: 15 Faits Precis/Masculine Feminine (1966) – Jean-Luc Godard
247. Shelter (2007) – Jonah Markowitz
248. The Wizard Of Oz (1939) – Victor Fleming
249. The Verdict (1982) – Sidney Lumet
250. Edge Of Seventeen (1997) – David Moreton
251. The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989) – Steve Kloves
252. It Happened One Night (1934) – Frank Capra
253. Lawrence Of Arabia (1962) – David Lean
254. Apocalypse Now (1979) – Francis Ford Coppola
255. Doctor Zhivago (1965) – David Lean
256. Separate Tables (1958) – Delbert Mann
257. Kinky Boots (2005) – Julian Jarrold
258. Dirty Pretty Things (2002) – Stephen Frears
259. L’illusioniste/The Illusionist (2010) – Sylvain Chomet
260. X-Men: First Class (2011) – Matthew Vaughn
261. Who’s That Girl? (2011) – Wenn V. DeRamas
262. Rio (2011) – Carlos Saldanha
263. Paris, Texas (1984) – Wim Wenders
264. Beastly (2011) – Daniel Barnz
265. Seconds (1966) – John Frankenheimer
266. Auntie Mame (1958) – Marton DaCosta
267. Prom (2011) – Joe Nussbaum
268. The Man With The Golden Arm (1955) – Otto Preminger
269. Limitless (2011) – Neil Burger
270. Duo Luo Tian Shi/Fallen Angels (1995) – Wong Kar Wai
271. Anatomy Of A Murder (1959) – Otto Preminger
272. Love And Other Drugs (2010) – Edward Zwick
273. Gone With The Wind (1939) – Victor Fleming
274. Tangled (2010) – Nathan Greno and Byron Howard
275. The Jerk (1979) – Carl Reiner
276. The Gold Rush (1925) – Charlie Chaplin
277. No Strings Attached (2011) – Ivan Reitman
278. Eating Out: All You Can Eat (2009) – Glenn Gaylord
279. M (1931) – Fritz Lang
280. The Sweet Hereafter (1997) – Atom Egoyan
281. Priest (2011) – Scott Stewart
282. Coming Out (1989) – Heiner Carow
283. J’ai Tue Ma Mere/I Killed My Mother (2009) – Xavier Dolan
284. Bus Stop (1956) – Joshua Logan
285. On The Town (1949) – Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly
286. A Few Good Men (1992) – Rob Reiner
287. Temptation Island (2011) – Chris Martinez
288. Bunny Lake Is Missing (1965) – Otto Preminger
289. Mr. Deeds Goes To Town (1936) – Frank Capra
290. City Lights (1931) – Charlie Chaplin
291. Zombadings 1: Patayin Sa Shokot Si Remington (2011) – Jade Castro
292. Rebecca (1940) – Alfred Hitchcock
293. Bad Teacher (2011) – Jake Kasdan
294. Yellow Sky (1948) – William A. Wellman
295. Sucker Punch (2011) – Zack Snyder
296. Patrik 1,5/Patrick, Age 1.5 (2008) – Ella Lemhagen
297. Dial M For Murder (1954) – Alfred Hitchcock
298. White Heat (1949) – Raoul Walsh
299. The Phantom Planet (1961) – William Marshall
300. Thor (2011) – Kenneth Branagh
301. Attack The Block (2011) – Joe Cornish
302. Cat On A Hot Tin Roof (1958) – Richard Brooks
303. Ruang Rak Noi Nid Mahasan/Last Life In The Universe (2003) – Pen-Ek Ratanaruang
304. The Green Hornet (2011) – Michel Gondry
305. Amadeus (1984) – Milos Forman
306. The Search (1948) – Fred Zinnemann
307. Apo Tin Akri Tis Polis/From The Edge Of The City (1998) – Constantine Giannaris
308. Spellbound (1945) – Alfred Hitchcock
309. Arthur (2011) – Jason Winer
310. The Bridge On The River Kwai (1957) – David Lean
311. La Historia Oficial/The Official Story (1985) – Luis Puenzo
312. The Tourist (2010) – Florian Henckel Von Donnersmarck
313. Touch Of Evil (1958) – Orson Welles
314. To Have And Have Not (1944) – Howard Hawks
315. C’era Una Volta Il West/Once Upon A Time In The West (1968) – Sergio Leone
316. The Nun’s Story (1959) – Fred Zinnemann
317. Witness For The Prosecution (1957) – Billy Wilder
318. The Three Faces Of Eve (1957) – Nunnally Johnson
319. Bridesmaids (2011) – Paul Feig
320. How Do You Know (2010) – James L. Brooks
321. Nosferatu: A Symphony Of Horror (1922) – F. W. Murnau
322. La Pianiste/The Piano Teacher (2001) – Michael Haneke
323. Broadcast News (1987) – James L. Brooks
324. Night Of The Living Dead (1968) – George A. Romero
325. Blue Valentine (2010) – Derek Cianfrance
326. Brooklyn’s Finest (2009) – Antoine Fuqua
327. Pirates Of The Silicon Valley (1999) – Martyn Burke
328. Destry Rides Again (1939) – George Marshall
329. On The Waterfront (1954) – Elia Kazan
330. His Girl Friday (1940) – Howard Hawks
331. Manhattan (1979) – Woody Allen
332. Winnie The Pooh (2011) – Stephen Anderson and Don Hall
333. White Nights (1985) – Taylor Hackford
334. To Catch A Thief (1955) – Alfred Hitchcock
335. Lost In Translation (2003) – Sofia Coppola
336. The Petrified Forest (1936) – Archie Mayo
337. The Grapes Of Wrath (1940) – John Ford
338. Laura (1944) – Otto Preminger
339. Justin Bieber: Never Say Never (2011) – Jon M. Chu
340. Sunrise: A Song Of Two Humans (1927) – F. W. Murnau
341. Stalag 17 (1953) – Billy Wilder
342. Do The Right Thing (1989) – Spike Lee
343. The Turning Point (1977) – Herbert Ross
344. Seven Brides For Seven Brothers (1954) – Stanley Donen
345. The Great Dictator (1940) – Charlie Chaplin
346. De Battre Mon Coeur S’est Arrete/The Beat That My Heart Skipped (2005) – Jacques Audiard
347. They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? (1969) – Sydney Pollack
348. Modern Times (1936) – Charlie Chaplin
349. Little Big Man (1970) – Arthur Penn
350. Dog Day Afternoon (1975) – Sidney Lumet
351. The Killing Fields (1984) – Roland Joffe
352. Hairspray (2007) – Adam Shankman
353. Boyz N The Hood (1991) – John Singleton
354. Ben-Hur (1959) – William Wyler
355. Robin Hood (2010) – Ridley Scott
356. Faces (1968) – John Cassavetes
357. Arsenic And Old Lace (1944) – Frank Capra
358. The Getaway (1972) – Sam Peckinpah
359. The Straight Story (1999) – David Lynch
360. The Public Enemy (1931) – William A. Wellman
362. Westlife: 10 Years Of Westlife (2008) – Julia Knowles
363. Twelve O’Clock High (1949) – Henry King
364. Pygmalion (1938) – Anthony Asquith and Leslie Howard
365. Romancing The Stone (1984) – Robert Zemeckis
366. Klute (1971) – Alan J. Pakula
367. The Third Man (1949) – Carol Reed
368. Le Grande Illusion/Grand Illusion (1937) – Jean Renoir
369. Life Of An American Fireman (1903) – Edwin S. Porter
370. Le Voyage Dans La Lune/A Trip To The Moon (1902) – Georges Melies
371. Suspicion (1941) – Alfred Hitchcock
372. The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951) – Robert Wise
373. Sweet Smell Of Success (1957) – Alexander Mackendrick
374. The Big Heat (1953) – Fritz Lang
375. The Kid (1921) – Charlie Chaplin
376. The Graduate (1967) – Mike Nichols
377. Sherlock Jr. (1924) – Buster Keaton
378. Close Encounters Of The Third Kind (1977) – Steven Spielberg
379. You Can’t Take It With You (1948) – Frank Capra
380. Johnny Guitar (1954) – Nicholas Ray
381. The Pride Of The Yankees (1942) – Sam Wood
382. The Way Back (2010) – Peter Weir
383. Un Chien Andalou/An Andalusian Dog (1929) – Luis Bunuel
384. The Misfits (1961) – John Huston
385. Call Northside 777 (1948) – Henry Hathaway
386. Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011) – Jennifer Yuh
387. A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) – Elia Kazan
388. The Breakfast Club (1985) – John Hughes
389. The Heiress (1949) – William Wyler
390. Midnight In Paris (2011) – Woody Allen
391. Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001) – Sharon Maguire
392. Sixteen Candles (1984) – John Hughes
393. Horrible Bosses (2011) – Seth Gordon
394. To Kill A Mockingbird (1962) – Robert Mulligan
395. Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) – Joe Johnston
396. Clueless (1995) – Amy Heckerling
397. Meet Me In St. Louis (1944) – Vincente Minnelli
398. Beginners (2011) – Mike Mills
399. Crazy, Stupid, Love. (2011) – Glen Ficarra and John Requa
400. Detour (1945) – Edgar G. Ullmer
401. Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1957) – John Huston
402. Electric Dreams (1984) – Steve Barron
403. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II (2011) – David Yates
404. Safety Last! (1923) – Fred C. Newmeyer and Sam Taylor
405. Hanna (2011) – Joe Wright
406. The Conversation (1974) – Francis Ford Coppola
407. The Innocents (1961) – Jack Clayton
408. The Awful Truth (1937) – Leo McCarey
409. Forbidden Games (1952) – Rene Clement
410. Lady and the Tramp (1955) – Clyde Geronimi and Wilfred Jackson
411. Meek’s Cutoff (2010) – Kelly Reichart
412. The Life of Emile Zola (1937) – William Dieterle
413. Glory (1989) – Edward Zwick
414. Grand Hotel (1932) – Edmund Goulding
415. Wait Until Dark (1967) – Terence Young
416. Judas Kiss (2011) – J.T. Tepnapa
417. Taxi Driver (1976) – Martin Scorsese
418. The Red Balloon (1953) – Albert Lamorisse
419. Rango (2011) – Gore Verbinski
420. Alice in Wonderland (1903) – Cecil M. Hepworth and Percy Stow
421. Roundhay Garden Scene (1888) – Louis Aime Augustin Le Prince
422. The Kiss (1896) – William Heise
423. A Morning Bath (1896) – James H. White
424. Annie Oakley (1894) – William K.L. Dickson
425. I Walked With a Zombie (1943) – Jacques Tourneur
426. Funny Girl (1968) – William Wyler
427. Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949) – Robert Hamer
428. Pulp Fiction (1994) – Quentin Tarantino
429. The Old Man and the Sea (1958) – John Sturges
430. Aguirre, The Wrath of God (1972) – Werner Herzog
431. The General (1926) – Clyde Bruckman and Buster Keaton
432. The Play House (1921) – Buster Keaton
433. Cops (1922) – Eddie Cline and Buster Keaton
434. Our Hospitality (1923) – John G. Blystone and Buster Keaton
435. Zero For Conduct (1933) – Jean Vigo
436. The Informer (1935) – John Ford
437. The Man Who Planted Trees (1987) – Frederic Back
438. Duck Soup (1933) – Leo McCarey
439. Bambi (1942) – David Hand
440. The Battle of Algiers (1966) – Gillo Pontecorvo
441. Jailhouse Rock (1957) – Richard Thorpe
442. Shanghai Express (1932) – Josef von Sternberg
443. I Am A Fugitive From A Chain Gang (1932) – Mervyn LeRoy
444. Submarine (2010) – Richard Ayoade
445. Requiem for a Dream (2000) – Darren Aronofsky
446. Christmas in Connecticut (1945) – Peter Godfrey
447. The Lincoln Lawyer (2011) – Brad Furman
448. The Invisible Man (1933) – James Whale
449. Dolphin Tale (2011) – Charles Martin Smith
450. A Better Life (2011) – Chris Weitz
451. Of Human Bondage (1934) – John Cromwell
452. Drive (2011) – Nicolas Winding Refn
453. Contagion (2011) – Steven Soderbergh
454. Crush (2000) – Philip J. Bartell
455. Shadow of a Doubt (1943) – Alfed Hitchcock
456. Casablanca (1942) – Michael Curtiz
457. Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011) – Sean Durkin
458. The Ides of March (2011) – George Clooney
459. Warrior (2011) – Gavin O’Connor
460. Top Hat (1935) – Mark Sandrich
461. Super 8 (2011) – J.J. Abrams
462. The Art of Getting By (2011) – Gavin Wiesen
463. Win Win (2011) – Thomas McCarthy
464. Freaks (1932) – Tod Browning
465. You’ve Got Mail (1998) – Nora Ephron
466. Dangerous (1935) – Alfred E. Green
467. The Crow (1994) – Alex Proyas
468. Psycho (1960) – Alfred Hitchcock
469. Bringing Up Baby (1938) – Howard Hawks
470. Gaslight (1944) – George Cukor
471. Woman of the Year (1942) – George Stevens
472. Ghost (1990) – Jerry Zucker
473. The Yearling (1946) – Clarence Brown
474. Fifty Percent Grey (2001) – Ruairi Robinson
475. Badgered (2005) – Sharon Colman
476. The Chubbchubbs! (2002) – Eric Armstrong
477. The Bad Seed (1956) – Mervyn LeRoy
478. My Man Godfrey (1936) – Gregory La Cava
479. Newark Athlete (1891) – William K.L. Dickson
480. Dickson Greeting (1891) – William K.L. Dickson
481. Anabelle Butterfly Dance (1894) – William K.L. Dickson
482. The Haunted House (1906) – Segundo de Chomon
483. The House of the Devil (1896) – Georges Melies
484. Return to Reason (1923) – Man Ray
485. For the Birds (2000) – Ralph Eggleston
486. Squelette Joyeux (1897) – Auguste and Louis Lumiere

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Year-ender: Best Films of 2011… and more
December 31, 2011, 5:45 am
Filed under: Uncategorized

Oh no. It’s that time of the year again.

Last year, I paid tribute to the 50 Best Films and 50 Worst Films (I’m not sure if you can call that a tribute) of the Year, and honestly, I found it a long and tiresome process. I realized just now, if you disliked something so much, why waste your time blogging about it? 

This 2011, I’ve decided to skip the bad films altogether – Jack and Jill, Mars Needs Moms, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1, who in the right mind would pay good money to watch these films? – and instead, I only paid to see the films that received lukewarm to good reviews (however, some of those reviews got me fooled).

This serves as one of my end-of-the-year specials for the year 2011: a year that was scarred by numerous disappointments, intense hatred, jealousy, and unbearable loneliness. Nevertheless, a lot of things happened to me  this year which made 2011 an unforgettable one.

2011 in a nutshell: This year is notable for the plenitude of Hollywood superhero movies shipped to local theaters (X-Men First Class, Green Lantern, Captain America: The First Avenger, Thor, The Green Hornet, etc.). There were too many of these VFX-laden films released this year that my eyes eventually grew tired of seeing big explosions and other fancy special effects. The bad news is, most of these visual films only turned out to be so-so. I happened to like Kenneth Branagh’s Thor, which, in my opinion, is the only superhero film released this year that really deserved the good buzz that it has been getting. However, it was not great enough to land a place in my list of best films.

I cut my list short from 50 to 20 this year because, as I’ve mentioned above, 2011 was not such a great year for films.

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20. Limitless (dir. Neil Burger)

Ironically, I chose a VFX-laden (I know I’ve been using that term a lot in this post, I apologize for that) film to start off this countdown. But unlike the other films in its league, the visuals in Neil Burger’s Limitless were not tiresome. Top that off with a clever cinematography (brightening up the colors to express the rejuvenated feel of a character after taking the NZT drug, and slowly dimming the screen to signify that the drug is starting to wear off), a nifty soundtrack (best soundtrack of the year, no doubt), snappy editing (reminiscent of that stink bomb, The Losers, which was released last year), and a charismatic lead (care of Bradley Cooper, who, by now, should know that he is slowly being typecast) made Limitless one of this year’s finest visual experiences.

19. Blue Valentine (dir. Derek Cianfrance)

An independent film that stays true to its roots, Derek Cianfrance nicely crafted this love story, told from its sweet, blossoming days down to its slow, dark stage of debilitation. It tells us of a typical Hollywood romance story, only stripped off its sugary sweet elements, with no cheesy songs inserted in the right moments, and free of unneeded sidestories. Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams each put out great performances which helped add a sense of realism into the whole product. The result was a relentless, heartbreaking narrative with a message that will surely sink deep into the viewer’s mind.

18. Paul (dir. Greg Mottola)

The Simon Pegg-Nick Frost tandem never fails to deliver the laughs. Paul pokes fun at the sci-fi film genre, particularly the films directed by Steven Spielberg (E.T: The Extra-Terrestrial, A.I.: Artificial Intelligence, and Close Encounters of the Third Kind) and plays it as a road trip comedy film. It has the usual obscenities we see in adult comedies released over the recent years, all played well by an uproarious ensemble which includes comedy heavyweights Kristen Wiig, Jeffrey Tambor, Jane Lynch, and Sigourney Weaver. Paul the Alien was a fascinating departure from the usual helpless aliens we usually see in family-friendly sci-fi films.

17. Zombadings 1: Patayin sa Shokot si Remington (dir. Jade Castro)

Probably the most talked about film in this year’s Cinemalaya Film Festival, Zombadings evoked thunderous laughs from a small audience, consequently stirring positive word-of-mouth that spread like wildfire in social media, enough to warrant it a place in mainstream theaters. Its huge leap from its humble, small-budgeted beginnings to its grand exposure in mainstream media is a landmark achievement in the Philippine independent cinema. And it surely deserved all the rave responses that it has been getting up to the present day – Zombadings had enough gimmicks up its sleeve to create a ridiculously comical roller coaster ride.

16. The Ides of March (dir. George Clooney)

A highly-provocative political thriller/expose that exudes confidence, all thanks to the masterful direction of George Clooney, the same man who directed the 2005 political thriller, Good Night, and Good Luck. The Ides of March just proved that this man can do his job well both on- and off-camera; Ryan Gosling and Philip Seymour Hoffman were both unmissable – Hoffman in particular – with each putting out sturdy performances. All that combined with a script spiked with hard-hitting dialogue and a score that does nothing else but to elevate the film’s tension gives The Ides of March a place in the long list of best political thrillers in the history of cinema.

15. Contagion (dir. Steven Soderbergh)

This is one of those rare instances where an all-star cast – composed mostly of Academy Award winners and nominees – manage to churn out a great movie (unlike the obvious turkeys such as Valentine’s Day and New Year’s Eve). Contagion was an intense two-hour ride, mainly due to its atmosphere that was clearly reminiscent of Alfonso Cuaron’s Children of Men released back in 2006. Cliff Martinez’ slow-burner score also played a key role in creating the whole intensity which filled the movie’s ambiance. Each of the performances were exceptional, particularly Gwyneth Paltrow’s and Kate Winslet’s, regardless of the length of their screen time.

14. Crazy, Stupid, Love. (dir. Glen Ficarra and John Requa)

Crazy, Stupid, Love was a mile apart from the other romantic comedies being released these days – its hilarity was pitch-perfect, the stellar cast played their respective roles finely, and the characters were far from being two-dimensional. It has its fair share of ridiculousness, but in the end, it compensates for its shortcomings with an unprecedented degree of empathy and truthfulness.

13. Attack The Block (dir. Joe Cornish)

Now here’s a film that spent its short running time well. Director Joe Cornish stuffed Attack The Block with scenes chock-full of tension, life, and good old British humor. It does not dawdle on trivialities nor brace itself for lame jump scares. It was an entertaining – yet irrefutably crazy – 90-minute ride with a bunch of unlikely heroes to boot.

12. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (dir. David Yates)

Much has already been said about this film over the past few months, I don’t think I need to say more.

11. Rango (dir. Gore Verbinski)

With the three Pirates of the Caribbean films under his belt, Gore Verbinski’s first attempt at animation, Rango, was met with high expectations in terms of visuals… and it did not disappoint. With obvious references to Roman Polanski’s Chinatown and the spaghetti Western movie genre,  Rango was a well-built spectacle of an animated film.

10. Black Swan (dir. Darren Aronofsky)

Acting-wise, Natalie Portman in Aronofsky’s Black Swan was not that special, but she did more than just act out the role of Nina Sayers. Many speculated that she earned an Academy Award for Best Actress just for the fact that, being trained in ballet herself, Portman did her own dancing in the film. It was a physically-demanding role, to the level that it was almost painful to watch. Aronofsky directed Black Swan as a horror film, but it was filled to the brim with incontestable grace and style without the aid of tacky special effects (the final dance scene utilized special effects, though).

9. Submarine (dir. Richard Ayoade)

Submarine, which was Ayoade’s character-centric film debut, had all of its strengths pinned on the cumbersome fiber of its lead character which, in turn, was finely portrayed by a relatively-unknown British actor, Craig Roberts. Instead of tackling that usual “quest for losing his virginity” plot line, Ayoade’s film explored more subjects that other coming-of-age films turn a blind eye to – crumbling family relationships, discontentedness, infidelities, and undeniable desires. Ayoade filmed his story with such tenderness and style, that you can actually feel how personal such a film is to him.

8. The Illusionist/L’illusionniste (dir. Sylvain Chomet)

I am unfamiliar with Chomet’s work, but after being revered as one of the world’s finest animators with the release of L’illusionniste, I immediately became interested in his filmography. In L’illusionniste, Chomet talked about life and relationships as “illusions” rather than “magic” (apparently, there IS a difference between the two). It tells us about an old man’s relationship with an impoverished girl who is greatly enchanted by his craft. With relationships being “illusory,” the old man knew that at some point, their friendship must come to an end. It was a heartbreaking picture about loneliness and despair that was animated in such an interesting style that it iwas hard to look away from the screen.

7. Bridesmaids (dir. Paul Feig)

In a nutshell, Bridesmaids was an all-female version of the hit 2009 summer comedy, The Hangover. It rightly served as a testament that there is still hope for the dreaded chick flick genre – it just needs the right people to work on it. The all-female lead ensemble was not to be underestimated, with Kristen Wiig being the best of them. Her delivery was pitch-perfect, and her sense of sarcasm and clumsiness were side-splittingly hilarious. Melissa McCarthy was the female equivalent of Zach Galifiniakis in The Hangover by providing most of the lewd humor in the film, but surprisingly, her character also had the most heart in the entire ensemble. Rose Byrne was attention-winning as the virginal bridesmaid and the epitome of perfection and luxury, all of which were panned by the film as utter vexations.

6. A Better Life (dir. Chris Weitz)

I just saw Vittorio de Sica’s 1948 Italian neo-realist film Bicycle Thieves recently, and I must say, Chris Weitz’ A Better Life was the closest we can come to a remake of that classic. Both had the similar plot – a father and son goes on a hopeless search for the father’s mode of transportation that is necessary for his work – but while Bicycle Thieves endlessly walked on themes of hopelessness, A Better Life strolled to a different course. However, both films ended up in the same quagmire. A Better Life was a poignant picture about paternal bonds, unshakable sense of hope, and illegal immigrants struggling for, well, a better life. This picture also served as a nice break for director Chris Weitz, with the travesty-of-a-film, New Moon, still fresh on his filmography.

5. 127 Hours (dir. Danny Boyle)

I must tip my hat off to Danny Boyle for making something tremendous out of a seemingly-tedious story. A large portion of Aron Ralston’s biopic, 127 Hours, only consist of James Franco and a big rock stuck in a deserted canyon. This kind of setting has already been done before, such as Rodrigo Cortes’ Buried last year, and the effect is eternally amusing. It speaks of man’s vulnerability and change of heart as he gradually approaches his denouement. With an interesting series of flashbacks and montages, A.R. Rahman’s electrifying score, and a heartbreaking performance from James Franco, Danny Boyle made his film work even with his limited number of resources.

4. Warrior (dir. Gavin O’Connor)

Warrior was definitely one of the biggest surprises of the year – what would you expect from a movie with a poster featuring two muscle-bound, topless dudes? Or was I just too deluded by the poster of the embarrassment that was New Moon?  Instead of entirely focusing on the subject of mixed martial arts, Warrior spent a great deal of its time dealing with the dilemmas of its characters – a struggling physics professor who is nearing bankruptcy, a full-fledged Christian who was formerly a drunkard, and an ex-Marine running away from his past – and it all boiled down to an explosive conclusion where these characters hit the roof and let out all of their depressions in life through violent means. The result was heart–wrenching and cringeworthy, but it was definitely a satisfactory way to end such a film.

3. Winnie The Pooh (dir. Stephen Anderson and Donald Hall)

It was the utter simplicity and innocence of Winnie The Pooh that placed it high up on this list. I never actually saw any of the Winnie The Pooh cartoons, but watching this film was nostalgic, bringing me back to the good old days when life was still uncomplicated. The story was marked by its doe-eyed naivety, and the hand-drawn animation was charming in all aspects.

2. Tangled (dir. Nathan Greno and Byron Howard)

Another big surprise this year was Tangled, a film that I had no high expectations for whatsoever. It was a fantastic tribute to the olden Disney movies where female protagonists suffer under the rule of their cruel stepmothers, and where people, regardless of class or talent, break into gleeful musical numbers out of the blue for no apparent reason. It was a nice throwback to the good old Disney when it was still not running “talented” hoe-bags and fame grubbers.

1. Midnight in Paris (dir. Woody Allen)

Woody Allen proves that he is still on a roll with the release of his latest film, Midnight in Paris. It is a  history nut’s ideal film, where different personalities in literary history such as Ernest Hemingway,  Gertrude Stein, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Luis Bunuel gather in a small district in Paris each time the clock strikes midnight. The cinematography was definitely one of the year’s best, giving off that “golden years” feel. The city of Paris was fetching as always. Owen Wilson did a nice impression of Woody Allen in his ’70s heyday, and Marion Cotillard exuded that same magnetic French charm that catapulted her to Hollywood stardom.

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And because I have no time to write lengthy posts about them, here are some other mentions:

Guilty Pleasures of the Year:

1. Who’s That Girl? (dir. Wenn Deramas)

2. The Tourist (dir. Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck)

3. Temptation Island (dir. Chris Martinez)

4. Prom (dir. Joe Nussbaum)

5. A Little Thing Called Love (dir. Puttipong Pormsaka Na-Sakonnakorn and Wasin Pokpong)

Worst Films of the Year (not arranged in any way):

1. Mean Girls 2 (dir. Melanie Mayron)

2. Burlesque (dir. Steve Antin)

3. Sucker Punch (dir. Zack Snyder)

4. No Strings Attached (dir. Ivan Reitman)

5. The Art of Getting By (dir. Gavin Wiesen)

6. How Do You Know (dir. James L. Brooks)

7. Beastly (dir. Daniel Barnz)

8. Judas Kiss (dir. J.T. Tepnapa)

9. Priest (dir. Scott Stewart)

10. Arthur (dir. Jason Winer)

Most Overrated Films of the Year:

1. Source Code (dir. Duncan Jones)

2. No Strings Attached (dir. Ivan Reitman)

3.  Love and Other Drugs (dir. Edward Zwick) — I can also place Friends With Benefits on this list to complete the infamous triptych, but I haven’t seen it yet!

4. Never Let Me Go (dir. Mark Romanek)

5. The King’s Speech (dir. Tom Hooper)

6. Beginners (dir. Mike Mills)

7. Martha Marcy May Marlene (dir. Sean Durkin)

8. Super 8 (dir. J.J. Abrams)

9. Drive (dir. Nicolas Winding Refn)

10. Meek’s Cutoff (dir. Kelly Reichart)

Unfairly Bashed Films of the Year But This Does Not Mean That I Think They Are Great:

1. Prom (dir. Joe Nussbaum)

2. Justin Bieber: Never Say Never (dir. Jon M. Chu)

3. I Am Number Four (dir. D.J. Caruso)

4. Bad Teacher (dir. Jake Kasdan)

5. Temptation Island (dir. Chris Martinez)

6. Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2: Rodrick Rules (dir. David Bowers)

Other Great Films That Were Not Included in the Top 20 Because I Do Not Have Time to Blog About Them:

1. Horrible Bosses (dir. Seth Gordon)

2. Win Win (dir. Thomas McCarthy)

3. The Adjustment Bureau (dir. George Nolfi)

4. Thor (dir. Kenneth Branagh)

5. X-Men: First Class (dir. Matthew Vaughn)

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See you in 2012… I hope.

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Worst Films of 2009
December 29, 2009, 2:57 pm
Filed under: Uncategorized

This is an annual blog entry, which I just started last year (inspired by other cinephiles who posted their own best/worst lists in public movie message boards).

In my humble opinion, 2009 was a terrible year for films. Last year, I was only able to name 10 bad films from the top of my head, but this year, I could cite as many as thirty, thus I’ll extend the list from 10 to 20. You can see last year’s list here.
20. The International (dir. Tom Tykwer)
With a beyond-innovative film like Lola Rennt and the superbly-composed Perfume: The Story of a Murderer up in his sleeve, director Tom Tykwer was a major letdown on this one. The International, about an Interpol agent’s attempt to bring down a corrupt financial institution, had only ONE scene worth recalling – the mall shoot-out scene – and the rest of the minutes can be easily dismissed as a total bore. You can top that off with a pretentious story line which tries hard to appear smart and engaging. Whatever happened to the old Tom Tykwer, I am still crossing my fingers for a big comeback.
19. Killshot (dir. John Madden)
Similar to The International, Madden’s Killshot suffered the most from its tepid plot and a weak roster of characters that none of the actors (Thomas Jane, Oscar nominees Diane Lane and Mickey Rourke) succeeded in breathing life into (Joseph Gordon-Levitt did a decent job in playing a psycho, though). What confused me more is how this ineptly-structured film even made it to the big screens when it could be better off screened in television along with other low-budget thrillers (Cinemax thrillers, to be particular).
18. Cadillac Records (dir. Darnell Martin)
Another Oscar-hungry film from Beyonce, nothing more. If “Dreamgirls” had an abortion, this film would be the immature fetus. The film chronicles the life of the Chess Records pioneers Leonard Chess, Muddy Waters, and Etta James, just to name a few. Big problem is, there is no balance in the multi-narrative. Take for instance the character of Muddy Waters (played by Jeffrey Wright) disappearing in thin air midway through the movie. Beyonce’s dreams of acting is understandable, but her portrayal of Etta James was over-executed. Song covers are inevitable, but turned out decent quality-wise. The number of songs, however, flushed away the story (if there ever was a story), which made Cadillac Records seem like a two-hour music video.
17. The Pink Panther 2 (dir. Harald Zwart)
Shawn Levy’s The Pink Panther back in 2006 (with Kevin Kline and Beyonce) had suffered so much in the hands of movie goers and critics alike, which made me admire Harald Zwart’s guts to come up with a sequel. Like what I had expected, the sequel was nothing more but a lousy “re-creation” of all the slapstick that we had already seen in its predecessor, akin to other bad sequels such as Mr. Bean’s Holiday and Miss Congeniality 2.
16. Inkheart (dir. Iain Softley)
Inkheart promises magic and imagination, but this has got to be the dullest fantasy film that I have ever seen. The visual effects are poor, scenes lacked fancy, and the characters are two-dimensional. The premise, about a man who could bring out characters from books into reality, was even spoiled by an inconvenient release date, slotted only two weeks after the release of the similarly-themed Bedtime Stories,thus making Inkheart nothing more than a British version of the Adam Sandler comedy. Cornelia Funke’s novel deserved better.
15. Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (dir. Shawn Levy)
Some movies are better left alone, with the 2006 blockbuster Night at the Museum as one of them. On Shawn Levy’s first try, viewers cannot help but to fall under his spell. The follow-up, however, was just another brainless, big-budgeted visual effects movie. The script lacked the imagination that we first saw in 2006 – this one is about an evil pharaoh (played by Hank Azaria, one of his worst roles to date) who is trying to take over the world. After rushing the script, they forced in more characters to somehow spice up the screen (Amelia Earheart, Al Capone, Abe Lincoln, etc.) and discarded the old ones that we loved from the first movie (particularly Teddy Roosevelt, who appeared for no more than five minutes).
14. The Echo (dir. Yam Laranas)
I cannot describe how disappointed I am in this film. This is a big break for a Filipino director, Yam Laranas, as the first Filipino horror movie to be remade for foreign audiences. I thought the scares would level those of Ju-on and Ringu, but The Echo stooped down to the level of other Hollywood remakes. The scares were predictable and the twist was very lousy. Not everything in the film was explained in the end. Laranas merely relied on revolting images to provoke scares. A childish way to scream “boo!” at his drowsy audience.
13. The Spirit (dir. Frank Miller)
OH NO HE DIDN’T – In 2005, audiences cannot help but to marvel at the monochrome style of Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller’s film adaptation of the graphic novel, Sin City. This year, Miller, an inexperienced film director, ran off with that monochrome style and used it for his solo directorial debut, the film adaptation of Will Eisner’s graphic novel, The Spirit. The projection of the style turned out okay, adding a neo-noir feel to the film, but the direction was amateur. You cannot help but to laugh at certain scenes, not only because of the toilet humor, but due to the awkwardness (Paz Vega’s why-is-this-included-in-the-final-cut scene perfectly exemplifies this) and the unimaginably cheesy lines. You can’t help but cringe or blush in embarrassment.
12. G-Force (dir. Hoyt Yeatman)
Guinea pig superheroes making fart jokes. Lame. What’s next, a crime-fighting protozoa? A lot of money was spent on visual effects but the film still stands as one of the most feeble-minded animated films in the history of cinema. Even in animation, substance should always come first before cuteness.
11. Hotel For Dogs (dir. Thor Freudenthal)
The title alone pretty much sums up how dense this film is. And ooh, Emma Roberts topbills the cast! That’s… just… great. But at least the dogs in this film were not bestowed with the puzzling ability to talk and a good grasp of the English language in order for the plot to move, which I consider as this film’s unique way of saying “f*ck you!” indirectly to Good Boy and Underdog.
10. Confessions of a Shopaholic (dir. P.J. Hogan)
In the midst of a global financial crisis, a film which glorifies the materialist culture is the last thing we need. Confessions of a Shopaholic is basically an elitist movie, with the story revolving on designer clothes and credit cards. Go watch The Devil Wears Pradainstead, at least that does not make you feel as if you are in the bottom of the social food chain. Isla Fisher, Hugh Dancy, Kristin Scott Thomas and Joan Cusack are all talented actors, they can certainly do better than sign up for this protracted commercial for a clothing brand.
9. The Informers (dir. Gregor Jordan)
The movie starts off by introducing its characters, each one going about their business in the 1980s Los Angeles. And then we wait for the STORY; the plot twist that would interweave these narratives. We just keep on waiting for that story until we realize that the credits have started to roll in. The Informers is as immaterial as watching paint dry, props to Bret Easton Ellis and Nicholas Jarecki for writing one of the most pointless stories of the year.
8. The Uninvited (dirs. Charles and Thomas Guard)
Emily Browning gave a laughable performance as Anna Rydell, a girl experiencing mental troubles. All The Uninvited did was to create that “Sixth Sense” element of surprise, but it just was not convincing enough. The story is caught by its tail before it even gets to us. This is yet another failed remake of an Asian horror flick (A Tale of Two Sisters); I think the Asian cinema had suffered enough from these bad remakes.
7. Dance Flick (dir. Damien Dante Wayans)
At first, I loved the idea of making a parody of dance flicks, given their overabundance and repetitive storyline. Dance Flick disappointingly turned out to be just like Disaster Movie, wherein the script just mashed-up elements from various dance films namely Step Up!,Flashdance, Fame, You Got Served, etc. topped with the usual Scary Movie obscenities and slurs. The Wayans brothers really need to get their act back.
6. The Haunting of Molly Hartley (dir. Mickey Liddell)
Also known as the Prom Night of 2009 in which Haley Bennett (who vowed in an interview that she would not act for a horror film… guess she had her fingers crossed then) plays a Catholic who is haunted by visions of her mother trying to kill her. Bad acting, cliches, and cheap jump scares were repeated all throughout, eventually killing the film itself. Things have downspiraled further as the film concludes with a very A Cinderella Story-ish ending (hottest guy in school falling for the biggest loser, sighs).
5. Bride Wars (dir. Gary Winick)
Two best friends (Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway) are set to wed their partners on the same date. Assuming that this is a harsh betrayal of each other’s trust, a series of crummy bitch fits were fired at each other. A recycled material at its worst, one would only laugh atBride Wars if this is the first film that mankind will ever see.
4. Year One (dir. Harold Ramis)
A very painful movie to watch, Year One sucks us into its stupidity. The comedy was downscaled into absurdity by the relentless use of flatulence humor. Being a Jack Black film, I had expected Year One‘s lack of logic. The set and costume design can be easily beaten by those used in pre-school plays. Michael Cera just played himself (i.e., clumsy, fragile) while Black’s presence was extremely annoying. Leave your brain at the ticket counter, for you might not have it back if you bring it in.
3. Status: Single (dir. Jose Javier Reyes)
 If ever I’m put into interrogation, watching the first few minutes of Jose Javier Reyes’ Status Single would easily do me in, not because of the cut-and-dried premise (clearly influenced by crappy Hollywood romantic comedies) but because of Rufa Mae Quinto’s omnipresence. I respect her as a comedienne, but I never thought that she would be extremely annoying in the big screen. I gave up after 25 minutes, Quinto’s annoying antics and Javier’s questionable chops in screenwriting had just picked the last straw.
2. The Unborn (dir. David Goyer)
There are a lot of dumb horror films, but The Unborn beats all of them by a mile. It has all the makings of a low-budget horror – the jump scares, the intense camera rattling, and a so-called “lead actress” who cannot even act but instead makes herself pretty for the cameras. The ending, which was supposed to be intense and rabid, turned out to be the silliest, nonsensical, and laughable scene captured on a horror film. Gary Oldman, who played the exorcist who triggered the aforementioned scene, should be hiding under a rock right now. Come to think of it, I would not classify this as a horror film at all, I was too busy laughing out loud, thanks to Odette Yustman’s moronic yet unintentionally-sidesplitting performance.
1. S. Darko (dir. Chris Fisher)
OKAY, I must admit that Donnie Darko was one of the most confusing thrillers that I’ve ever seen, but it got me thinking for days until I figured things out. The film stands out for that. BUT FOR GOD’S SAKE, IS IT REALLY NECESSARY TO MAKE A SEQUEL ABOUT DONNIE’S SISTER? She did not even have a special role in the first film anyway! All S. Darko ever did was to mimic its predecessor. Fisher focused on creating the same eerie atmosphere, and failed to construct a story. And if its any consolation, Daveigh Chase reprised her role as Samantha Darko, as unknown and inexperienced actors filled the rest of the cast. One stupid movie and a big waste of time. Whoever greenlighted this film, just do us all a favor and die, please?
Disclaimer: This is my (read: MY) list of the Worst Films of 2009. And I have not seen every movie released in 2009 for I still have a life.
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Blast from the Past: Worst Films of 2008
December 25, 2008, 2:19 pm
Filed under: Uncategorized

Sidenote: I’ve decided to use my WordPress account for these end-of-the-year specials, so I’m importing my old Best Films/Worst Films lists from my now-defunct Multiply account. I haven’t made any changes to these lists, even though I have changed my preference in films over the succeeding years (to be frank, I can’t help but to laugh at the choices I’ve made back then). Enjoy!

As I do not have the time to edit the whole blog entry, I just retained the grammatical errors I’ve made (don’t blame me, I’m not perfect and I was just 18 when I wrote this).

Since every cinephile had already posted their respective best/worst lists for 2008 on their blogsites and forums, I should probably jump on the bandwagon. I regularly watch and review films, but that did not make me impervious from bad films such as these:

10. Across the Universe (dir. Julie Taymor)

Director Julie Taymor (Frida, Titus) is notorious for splashing her films with bright colors to inject that certain sense of creativity. Her panache was made obvious in her latest film, the Beatles-themed musical Across the Universe, starring Evan Rachel Wood and newcomer Jim Sturgess. She based the story upon a nice lineup of songs, and the product was campy and not to mention, nonsensical. A disheveled story + a whacked flamboyance in filmmaking = utter disaster.

9. Michael Clayton (dir. Tony Gilroy)

We were outraged upon finding out that Tilda Swinton won the Oscar for her role in Michael Clayton instead of either Amy Ryan or Cate Blanchett, who undoubtedly gave the best female supporting performances for last year. What is even more infuriating wasMichael Clayton joining the roster of Best Picture nominees. The problem with this film is it is too obscured that less and less viewers express their interest in watching such a product of gloom. I was unbiased during that time when I gave this film a chance, and spare me, just seeing George Clooney’s close-to-frozen face tempted me to take a good shuteye instead (but I resisted, and it was hard). This must be the one film that I really can’t watch in just one sitting.

8. Vantage Point (dir. Pete Travis)

Probably the most mediocre Dennis Quaid thriller that I’ve ever seen, but that’s not the worst feature of this movie. The style is overambitious and lame. Since this is a multinarrative thriller, the director must allot no more than 15 minutes for each character to have his/her time to shine. How director Peter Berg tried to tie those subplots together was a pure catastrophe, and like what I said on my review, it is like “a song set on repeat.” It was downright irritating and rather shameful, considering it has A-list actors such as Sigourney Weaver, Forest Whitaker, and even William Hurt. These performers wasn’t given the chance to act up to their “long gone” potentials.

7. Step Brothers (dir. Adam McKay)

The story is about two guys – played by Will Ferrel and John C. Reilly – around their 40’s who are still living with their divorced parents. Both are unbearable and their performances are pruned. Ferrel was slapstick, and Reilly tries hard to make himself appear funny (to no avail). The movie turned foul and unmerciful when these two annoying rats ended up as step brothers. There was suddenly an explosion of cheesiness and childish pranks. It tortures you further when the equally-crummy character of Adam Scott made his debut. These three comedians doesn’t have the slightest bit of idea where to draw the line.

6. Jumper (dir. Doug Liman)

Way back 2007, Jumper looks promising, until Hayden Christensen and Rachel Bilson jumped (pardon the pun) onboard. Even though Christensen have his feet firmly planted on Hollywood, he doesn’t have the guts to establish himself as an actor. The same goes to Rachel Bilson, who ruined almost every movie/production she’s been in.

Now I respect Doug Liman as an action film director, with his filmography ranging from Swingers to Mr. & Mrs. Smith. He filmedJumper slovenly, spelling danger for the big fight scenes, which was soiled by the unsettling and rapid spasms of the director’s camera handling. I fully understand that this is done so to uplift the feeling of pressure, but Doug Liman carried it out messily, producing footage that those prone to motion sickness would not be willing to see.

5. Prom Night (dir. Nelson McCormick)

Hamfisted performances and plot lines that are terribly overused just brought back embarrassment to rising stars Brittany Snow and Scott Porter. Prom Night is far from being scary. Even though you haven’t seen this film before, you’ll be able to predict when will the “jump scares” occur. You can even foretell that no more than one character would survive in the end. Prom Night isn’t fit to show for the big screens; it would be much better if it had gone straight to DVDs or aired in television. This is not worth wasting your money on.

4. Definitely, Maybe (dir. Adam Brooks)

Another romantic comedy ran by various banalities, I have nothing much to say here. I wonder why the critics raved about this Ryan Reynolds film though? See this only if you’re interested in hearing Abigail Breslin utter her first onscreen curse words.

 

 

 

 

3. Elegy (dir. Isabel Coixet)

A drama which tries hard to appear subtle for it to be eligible to run for the Oscars. Yes, this is how the award-hungry directors/actors make their movies when they are too blinded by their ambitions and their chances for a big comeback. It was so droning that my eyes almost fell off their sockets. The plot can be told in no less than an hour, but director whatshername wants to achieve Sam Mendes’ imprint on his 1999 hit, American Beauty. Too bad for her, what happened was the opposite: the “subtlety” she tried to boast was sluggish, audiences had turned a blind eye, and the only buzz this film have made so far was a cricket chirp. Sorry Ben Kingsley, you’re still not ready for a comeback. Try again next year.

2. The Happening (dir. M. Night Shyamalan)

Is there anything happening in The Happening? For an hour and a half, I have been waiting for M. Night Shyamalan to impress me as much as he did on his earlier films such as The Sixth Sense, Signs,and The Village. Sadly, that impression did not materialize, and my patience was of no use.

The theme is environmental… or shall I say, supposed to be environmental. But M. Night Shyamalan’s idea of making his film to appear so was to command his actors to run from the grassfields, which made me laugh at the most inappropriate time. I used to call Mark Wahlberg a decent actor, but after seeing his vacuous performance, I immediately retracted my impressions. Zooey Deschanel should be hiding under a rock now, for she was HILARIOUSLY BAD, with those gigantic stares and shushed articulation of lines. I smell a Worst Actress nomination for her in the next Razzies…

1. Disaster Movie (dirs. Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer)

Anyone who actually enjoyed this film would be the death of humankind’s sense of humor. There’s nothing much to say about Disaster Movie, just read the title aloud and that sums up my review. It really bothers me how these studios find the time and money to produce such idiocy? Why aren’t Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer expelled from Hollywood yet? And lastly, how did these numskulls managed to start a career in Hollywood, given their crappy screenplays and their dense penchants for unoriginality?

Just a little disclaimer, just in case a football fan charges at me:

These choices are based on MY opinion, But you’re free to share or argue. And I haven’t watched (or finished) the notoriously bad films like The Hottie and the Nottie, 10,000 B.C., The Love Guru, One Missed Call and Shutter, so they do not appear on this list.

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