Rotten Tomatoes has compiled a list of the 100 Worst Reviewed Movies of the Decade. Lots of them are sequels, or those awful spoof movies. I've only been sucked into one of them, that Freddie Prinze Jr. suckfest, Down to You (#40). And in my defense, I was only thirteen.
How many of these craptastic junk films have you seen? What's the worst movie you've seen this decade?
Showing posts with label Lists. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lists. Show all posts
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Thursday, September 10, 2009
The Telegraph's 25 Best Book to Film Adaptations
Yet another "25 Best" list has come out today, this time from The Telegraph and listing the best movies to be adapted from books. Not too many surprises here, but the order seems a bit off. (Harry Potter beats The Lord of the Rings? Really?)
Here it is, anyway. I'll be getting to this one as soon as I can, though at the rate these lists are surfacing, I'll be behind permanently.
25. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003)
24. Schindler's List (1993)
23. The Heiress (1949)
22. The Harry Potter Series (2001-2011)
21. The Shining (1980)
20. The Remains of the Day (1993)
19. No Country For Old Men (2007)
18. Apocalypse Now (1979)
17. Trainspotting (1996)
16. Empire of the Sun (1987)
15. All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
14. The Day of the Jackal (1973)
13. Dracula (1931)
12. Brighton Rock (1947)
11. Moby-Dick (1956)
10. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969)
9. The 39 Steps (1935)
8. The Big Sleep (1946)
7. Dangerous Liaisons (1988)
6. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
5. The Leopard (1963)
4. Doctor Zhivago (1965)
3. To Kill A Mockingbird (1962)
2. Wuthering Heights (1939)
1. Great Expectations (1946)
I'm a little disappointed to see that Joe Wright's Atonement didn't make it. It's one of the few instances where I read the book first and yet was still completely in love with the film.
Any you'd like to see here?
Here it is, anyway. I'll be getting to this one as soon as I can, though at the rate these lists are surfacing, I'll be behind permanently.
25. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003)
24. Schindler's List (1993)
23. The Heiress (1949)
22. The Harry Potter Series (2001-2011)
21. The Shining (1980)
20. The Remains of the Day (1993)
19. No Country For Old Men (2007)
18. Apocalypse Now (1979)
17. Trainspotting (1996)
16. Empire of the Sun (1987)
15. All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
14. The Day of the Jackal (1973)
13. Dracula (1931)
12. Brighton Rock (1947)
11. Moby-Dick (1956)
10. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969)
9. The 39 Steps (1935)
8. The Big Sleep (1946)
7. Dangerous Liaisons (1988)
6. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
5. The Leopard (1963)
4. Doctor Zhivago (1965)
3. To Kill A Mockingbird (1962)
2. Wuthering Heights (1939)
1. Great Expectations (1946)
I'm a little disappointed to see that Joe Wright's Atonement didn't make it. It's one of the few instances where I read the book first and yet was still completely in love with the film.
Any you'd like to see here?
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
EW's Best Animated Movies Ever
Entertainment Weekly has posted a revised version of their top 20 Best Animated Movies Ever (in typical pain-in-the-ass, multi-page fashion), and I have it for you here.
20. Ghost in the Shell (1995)
19. Waltz with Bashir (2008)
18. Pinocchio (1940)
17. Kiki's Delivery Service (1989)
16. South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999)
15. The Iron Giant (1999)
14. Akira (1988)
13. Chicken Run (2000)
12. The Triplets of Belleville (2003)
11. Dumbo (1941)
10. Coraline (2009)
9. Bambi (1942)
8. Toy Story 2 (1999)
7. The Incredibles (2004)
6. Beauty and the Beast (1991)
5. Persepolis (2007)
4. The Lion King (1994)
3. Up (2009)
2. Spirited Away (2002)
1. WALL-E (2008)
20. Ghost in the Shell (1995)19. Waltz with Bashir (2008)
18. Pinocchio (1940)
17. Kiki's Delivery Service (1989)
16. South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999)
15. The Iron Giant (1999)
14. Akira (1988)
13. Chicken Run (2000)
12. The Triplets of Belleville (2003)
11. Dumbo (1941)
10. Coraline (2009)
9. Bambi (1942)
8. Toy Story 2 (1999)
7. The Incredibles (2004)
6. Beauty and the Beast (1991)
5. Persepolis (2007)
4. The Lion King (1994)
3. Up (2009)
2. Spirited Away (2002)
1. WALL-E (2008)
I have mixed feelings here. I'm pleased with the mix of old and new, stop-motion, hand-drawn and CG. Thank goodness they had the good sense to leave off Shrek, the most overrated piece of crap to win an Oscar in the past ten years, and amen to the inclusion of Persepolis, the charming and original gem from 2007.
But on the other hand, how could not one, but three landmark animated films be missing? No Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the first ever feature-length animated film? No Nightmare Before Christmas, Henry Selick's hauntingly fun collaboration with Tim Burton? No Toy Story, Pixar's mind-blowing, perfect debut that changed the landscape of the medium forever? What on earth?
Up is just as brilliant as the rest of the features in the Pixar cannon, but I don't think it's better than The Lion King, which would have been my pick for #1. WALL-E isn't an offensive choice, though. It was my favorite of last year.
I'll be tackling all the films on this list (the few that I don't already know by heart) as soon as I'm done tearing through acclaimed British flicks. Until then, are there any not here that should be? What would you have picked for #1?
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
The Observer's 25 Best British Films
The Observer Film Quarterly has put together a list of the top 25 British films of the past 25 years, a list that actually looks pretty accurate, though I'm sure everyone is wondering where one or two of their favorites are.
Of the titles listed, I've only seen four. Four! I have a new project. I'll see every film on the list before the year is up. They'll have to be squeezed in among all of the awards ponies being released, but I'm confident I can get it done.
2. Withnail and I (1987) D: Bruce Robinson - Two down-on-their luck actors find solace in drink and a trip to the country.
3. Secrets & Lies (1996) D: Mike Leigh - When her adoptive parents die, a young black woman seeks out her birth mother only to make an astounding discovery - her mother is white.
4. Distant Voices, Still Lives (1988) D: Terence Davies - Ripples of memory show a working-class family in 1940s and '50s Liverpool.
5. My Beautiful Laundrette (1985) D: Stephen Frears - London punk Johnny and Pakistani Omar redo a run-down launderette.
6. Nil By Mouth (1997) D: Gary Oldman - A brutish working-class Briton heads a volatile, tightknit clan in 20th-century London.
7. Sexy Beast (2000) D: Jonathan Glazer - A retired gangster is threatened into taking another mob job.
8. Ratcatcher (1999) D: Lynne Ramsay - Life in a Glasgow housing project during the 1973 garbageworkers strike as seen through the eyes of 12-year-old James.
9. Slumdog Millionaire (2008) D: Danny Boyle - A Mumbai orphan becomes a contestant on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire in the hopes of finding his childhood love.
10. Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) D: Mike Newell - An English charmer and a lusty American make love over a course of surprising events.
11. Touching the Void (2003) D: Kevin Macdonald - Two mountain climbers descending one of the world's highest peaks face the ultimate tragedy.
12. Hope and Glory (1987) D: John Boorman - A 9-year-old boy recalls life with his mother and family in World War II England.
13. Control (2007) D: Anton Corbijn - Fighting a personal battle with epilepsy, romantic troubles with his wife and girlfriend, and the overwhelming success of a band, Ian Curtis commits suicide at the age of 23.
14. Naked (1993) D: Mike Leigh - An out-of-work philosopher meets assorted weirdos on his odyssey by night in London.
15. Under the Skin (1997) D: Carine Adler - A young woman embarks upon a sexual odyssey in reaction to her mother's sudden death from a brain tumor.
16. Hunger (2008) D: Steve McQueen - The last six weeks of the life of the Irish republican hunger striker Bobby Sands.
17. This Is England (2006) D: Shane Meadows - 12-year-old Shaun befriends the wrong people in 1983 England.
18. Shaun of the Dead (2004) D: Edgar Wright - Along with his slacker friends, a man embarks on a comic killing spree to save his girlfriend and make the world safe.
19. Dead Man's Shoes (2004) D: Shane Meadows - When a man leaves the rural village where he has grown up to join the army, his brother is taken in by a controlling and vicious local drug dealer.
20. Red Road (2006) D: Andrea Arnold - A CCTV operator begins spying on a man connected to a terrible event in her past.
21. Riff-Raff (1991) D: Ken Loach - An ex-convict from Glasgow turns London construction worker and falls for a drifter from Belfast.
22. Man On Wire (2008) D: James Marsh - Philippe Petit's daring high-wire walk between the towers of the World Trade Center in 1974.
23. My Summer of Love (2004) D: Pawel Pawlikowski - A spirited local girl finds herself drawn into the lush fantasy world of a prep-school rebel, but what started as a magical adventure soon becomes a dangerous friendship.
24. 24 Hour Party People (2002) D: Michael Winterbottom - Tony Wilson is a gobby local journalist and the owner of Factory Records.
25. The English Patient (1996) D: Anthony Minghella - A Hungarian count, critically injured at the end of the second world war, retells the story of his doomed affair with an Englishwoman in prewar North Africa.
That's the list. I'm definitely intrigued by all the synopses, so this is a mountain I can't wait to climb. I'll be keeping count in the sidebar as I get through them.
How many of these films have you seen? Which are your favorites? Did The Observer miss any? Which one should I watch first?
Of the titles listed, I've only seen four. Four! I have a new project. I'll see every film on the list before the year is up. They'll have to be squeezed in among all of the awards ponies being released, but I'm confident I can get it done.
2. Withnail and I (1987) D: Bruce Robinson - Two down-on-their luck actors find solace in drink and a trip to the country.
3. Secrets & Lies (1996) D: Mike Leigh - When her adoptive parents die, a young black woman seeks out her birth mother only to make an astounding discovery - her mother is white.
4. Distant Voices, Still Lives (1988) D: Terence Davies - Ripples of memory show a working-class family in 1940s and '50s Liverpool.
5. My Beautiful Laundrette (1985) D: Stephen Frears - London punk Johnny and Pakistani Omar redo a run-down launderette.
6. Nil By Mouth (1997) D: Gary Oldman - A brutish working-class Briton heads a volatile, tightknit clan in 20th-century London.
7. Sexy Beast (2000) D: Jonathan Glazer - A retired gangster is threatened into taking another mob job.
8. Ratcatcher (1999) D: Lynne Ramsay - Life in a Glasgow housing project during the 1973 garbageworkers strike as seen through the eyes of 12-year-old James.
9. Slumdog Millionaire (2008) D: Danny Boyle - A Mumbai orphan becomes a contestant on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire in the hopes of finding his childhood love.
10. Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) D: Mike Newell - An English charmer and a lusty American make love over a course of surprising events.
11. Touching the Void (2003) D: Kevin Macdonald - Two mountain climbers descending one of the world's highest peaks face the ultimate tragedy.
12. Hope and Glory (1987) D: John Boorman - A 9-year-old boy recalls life with his mother and family in World War II England.
13. Control (2007) D: Anton Corbijn - Fighting a personal battle with epilepsy, romantic troubles with his wife and girlfriend, and the overwhelming success of a band, Ian Curtis commits suicide at the age of 23.
14. Naked (1993) D: Mike Leigh - An out-of-work philosopher meets assorted weirdos on his odyssey by night in London.
15. Under the Skin (1997) D: Carine Adler - A young woman embarks upon a sexual odyssey in reaction to her mother's sudden death from a brain tumor.
16. Hunger (2008) D: Steve McQueen - The last six weeks of the life of the Irish republican hunger striker Bobby Sands.
17. This Is England (2006) D: Shane Meadows - 12-year-old Shaun befriends the wrong people in 1983 England.
18. Shaun of the Dead (2004) D: Edgar Wright - Along with his slacker friends, a man embarks on a comic killing spree to save his girlfriend and make the world safe.
19. Dead Man's Shoes (2004) D: Shane Meadows - When a man leaves the rural village where he has grown up to join the army, his brother is taken in by a controlling and vicious local drug dealer.
20. Red Road (2006) D: Andrea Arnold - A CCTV operator begins spying on a man connected to a terrible event in her past.
21. Riff-Raff (1991) D: Ken Loach - An ex-convict from Glasgow turns London construction worker and falls for a drifter from Belfast.
22. Man On Wire (2008) D: James Marsh - Philippe Petit's daring high-wire walk between the towers of the World Trade Center in 1974.
23. My Summer of Love (2004) D: Pawel Pawlikowski - A spirited local girl finds herself drawn into the lush fantasy world of a prep-school rebel, but what started as a magical adventure soon becomes a dangerous friendship.
24. 24 Hour Party People (2002) D: Michael Winterbottom - Tony Wilson is a gobby local journalist and the owner of Factory Records.
25. The English Patient (1996) D: Anthony Minghella - A Hungarian count, critically injured at the end of the second world war, retells the story of his doomed affair with an Englishwoman in prewar North Africa.
That's the list. I'm definitely intrigued by all the synopses, so this is a mountain I can't wait to climb. I'll be keeping count in the sidebar as I get through them.
How many of these films have you seen? Which are your favorites? Did The Observer miss any? Which one should I watch first?
