To be honest, finding the finest film of this century was not an easy task, despite the fact that a number of films stood out from the crowd. The list below offers films that are striking in depth, thrilling symmetry, flawless production design, gorgeous framing and incredible grace.
13. "Stay in my shoes" (2013)
The thought-provoking and frankly shocking research of civilization and humanity by Jonathan Glazer over the course of a decade is reflected in this epic. Little use of the satirist 2000 novel by Dutch author Michael Faber as the main version of this deep, metaphysical and fluid treatise and Glasere surpassed all expectations.
The inimitable Scarlett Johansson brilliantly transforms from a little angel into a brightly painted rebel. She performed this role superbly, despite the small remarks. By seducing the random working class lonely guys, she lures them into her lair, with dire problematic consequences.
Composer Mika Levy adds value to Glazer's artfully orchestrated painting, most prominently in Act 3 of the film.
With a sophisticated gimmick, completely unearthly and sophisticated, the film delivers an exhilarating, unpredictable and overwhelming experience that will haunt you for days after watching. Rest assured, "Stay in My Skin" creates exactly the effect expected from its provocative name. It definitely looks like a masterpiece.
12. "Master" (2012)
Controversial but outstanding filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson is, as Peter Travers puts it, "... a rock star, an artist who knows no boundaries ...". Travers continues to rightly claim that The Master is written, directed, played, filmed and judged with an exhilarating energy that brings back your faith in cinema as an art field. "Master" helps to achieve nirvana for all lovers of cinematography. Anderson blends sounds and imagery into his own dark, dazzling music.
Anderson's "The Master" depicts an accurate and powerful portrait of a relentless, violent and often hot-tempered vagabond named Freddy Quel (Joaquin Phoenix), suffering from a shell shock in World War II. Eventually, in 1950, he joins the cult of the charismatic leader Lancaster Dodd (Philip Seymour Hoffman). As a mentor to Freddy, Dodd leads him into his religious movement "Deed"
The interesting, intricate, maddening work of cinematographer Mihai Malaimar Jr. (who has won many awards for this film) is a coherent and continuous chain of high contrast images. This is one of the memorable, sad and at the same time cute pictures.
11. "I'm Not There" (2007)
Some might call this film a biographical one, as it is based on the life and work of Bob Dylan, but it is rather a wonderful continuation of the science of "Dylanology" (yes, there is one). With the participation of at least 6 different actors, embodying all sides of the multifaceted personality of Bob Dylan, (including Cate Blanchett, Marcus Karl Franklin, Richard Gere and Heath Ledger), an unusual, intense and musical film has been released that spans five crazy decades of the inimitable Bob Dylan's career.
With an astounding source of contrasting visual styles, unique and varied editing techniques, and a powerful cast (of course, Cate Blanchett's brilliant performance has earned every possible recognition and awards, but also noteworthy is Charlotte Gainsburg's outstanding transformation into Claire Slark), so all of this makes "I'm Not There" a unique cinematic work.
In all the long 135 minutes of the film, the phrase "Bob Dylan" was never spoken! And none of the actors who played different periods of the singer's life did not depart from this plan, and yet the characteristic features do not give rise to doubt in the definition of this personality. The title "I'm Not There" is a real show of skill, as the picture is truly ambitious, complex, surreal and thought-provoking.
In Haynes's films, in particular "I'm Not There," the heroes are often characterized by a struggle of passions. This obsessive and insistent film about Dylan reflects all the things that excite Haynes in one way or another, definitively and accurately counting "I'm Not There" among his significant works, causing laughter, tears and endless discoveries.
10. "The Dragon's Refuge" (2003)
The film by one of the main directors of Taiwan cinema, Tsai Mingliang, reveals in detail the problem of alienation between city dwellers.
On the eve of closing, the movie "Dragon's Tavern" is shown in the provincial cinema. Different people came to the Fu-Ho cinema: unhappy souls, as if alive and dead at the same time, wandering and wondering at the faded, once beautiful interior. They all crave fellowship. Outside the cinema, rainstorms are pouring down the streets of Taipei, further creating a sense of ghostly melancholy.
9. "Child of Man" (2006)
Alfonso Cuarón has directed many great films in this century, which can be safely included in this list: for example, "And Your Mother Too" in 2001 or "Gravity" in 2013, but his dystopian drama "Child of Man" in 2006 is something something.
The screened novel by P.D. James, written in 1992, Child of Man is a bleak, crude, technically perfect miracle of apprehension, mental stress, and strenuous action. The heroes of Cleve Owen, Claire-Hope Ashity, Michael Kane, Citizen Edgifora, and Julianne Moore are living the last days of humanity. In the conditions of the impossibility of the continuation of the human race, Owen's hero, the mocking civil servant Theo Faron, must accompany the only pregnant refugee woman (Eshiti) through the crumbling and dying Great Britain.
Distinguished producer Emmanuel Lubezki's deep drama immerses and constantly overwhelms the viewer. Many innovative and incredibly thoughtful footage simply lifts the film into the stratosphere, making it a paragon of visual storytelling, and of course, placing Human Child so high on this list of the best films of the century.
8. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
George Miller's Fury Road is the concluding part of the chase films as it reimagines the car mayhem first seen in the opening section of Mad Max's sequel to the Road Warrior. Miller's assistant is the film director and concurrently his wife, Margaret Sixel, who helps to clearly define the spatial relationships of many elements - cars, characters, etc., in particular, the cause-and-effect relationships of rapidly changing and constant chaos. The physics of the action movie is extremely pronounced and amazing.
The post-apocalyptic cosmology of Mad Max: Fury Road is adorned with a magnificent and grotesque production by Colin Gibson, Jenny Beavan's costumes and the quivering and calm lens of John Seale. Be that as it may, Fury Road is a Mad Max fans dream come true.
7. Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
Working closely with screenwriters Hamton Fancher (who co-wrote the original 1982 Ridley Scott Blade Runner) and Michael Green, as well as sensational filmmaker Roger Deakins, forward-thinking Canadian director Denis Villeneuve accomplished the almost impossible task of following the " along Scott's blade, retaining much of the tactile splendor and noir poetry that made the film arguably more emotionally engaging than the original.
30 years after the first film, Ryan Gosling - an artificially created person, or replicant, of the new model Kay - hunts down the rogue replicants and destroys them. When Kei discovers evidence that the Replicants were once able to give birth to a child, he is tasked with finding and killing him in order to prevent an uprising.
Blade Runner 2049 is a treasure of modern science fiction, full of mystical mysteries and challenging puzzles.
6. "Pan's Labyrinth" (2006)
Mexican Guillermo del Toro is a true master of dark and dark cinema, who created the masterpiece of the second part of the trilogy about the coup d'etat of Spain. Let's move to this country in 1944, where we will meet a young girl, Ophelia (Ivana Bakero) and her ailing mother, Carmen (Ariadna Gil), who are carrying a child.
These women have just moved in with Carmen's new husband, a brutal army officer, Captain Vidal (Sergi Lopez). Ophelia immediately felt dislike for her stepfather and soon found entertainment in an ancient labyrinth, where she encounters a mysterious and monstrous Faun (Doug Jones). Ophelia's new acquaintance tells her that she is the lost Princess Muanne and that she must complete 3 dangerous missions to regain her throne.
Epic in scale, reminiscent of Dickens' stories or Alice in Wonderland, Pan's Labyrinth is an easy and inspiring flight of fantasy. But do not forget that this is not a children's fairy tale at all. The cruel real world that surrounds Ophelia is terrifying and dangerous, but del Toro never embellishes anything, so this film evokes a sense of surprise, danger, and also amazes with its irresistible, tragic poignancy.
"Pan's Labyrinth" is not a world for the faint of heart, but for enterprising people with a rich imagination, in which you can easily get lost.
5. "The Grand Budapest Hotel" (2014)
Wes Anderson's film about the cute but permanently empty Grand Budapest Hotel is based on the work of Stefan Zweig. In a colorful and joyful film, excessiveness is simply necessary, since it describes Old Europe during the Baroque, where the reproduction of the historical era is intertwined with adventure, humor, pride and tragedy.
The hotel's opulent ambiance, meticulously designed by designers Adam Stockhausen in charge of the exterior and Anna Pinnock on the interior, is the main location of the amusing story that unfolds in three different video formats: 2.35: 1, 1.85: 1 and classic 1.33: 1.
Among the many eras that Anderson turns to, there are some elements of gothic romance and mysticism (Hitchcock's "Lady disappears" immediately comes to mind) with all the traps, secret passages, evil killers and suspicious monks, not to mention the hotel concierge keeping many secrets. which pays homage to the films of Hitchcock and Carol Reed.
The Grand Budapest Hotel has so many crazy color effects (even in monochrome scenes) that the eyes and mind just can't rest. much, much more.
4. "Spirited Away" (2001)
Unlike many popular animated films, the characters of Hayao Miyazaki's imaginary world are not characterized by condescension and oversensitivity. Spirited Away is no exception, as the film follows the fabulous adventures of 10-year-old Chihiro Ogino and her parents on their way to their new home. On the way, they find themselves in a strange unusual city, which after sunset is filled with spirits. Chihiro is forced to rescue her parents and find her way home.
Spirited Away is like the European version of Lewis Carroll's fantasy Alice in Wonderland with a touch of Milne. The hand-drawn episodes exude love, energy and unusual ingenuity.
Miyazaki shares his cultural achievement with his great compatriots - world-renowned filmmakers such as Kenji Mitsoguchi (1898-1956) and Yasujiro Ozu (1903-1963).
Spirited Away is a transcendent flight of fantasy imbued with manga traditions, which also widely discloses the problems of the influence of harmful consequences on the environment, the ability to adapt to the blows of fate, the forces of altruism, friendship, as well as awareness of one's roots and one's essence.
This is by far one of the greatest works ever produced.
3. "The Tree of Life" (2011)
Terrence Malick's stunningly beautiful poetic philosophical play about love, life, being called "The Tree of Life" is an unforgettable experimental work that was deservedly awarded the Palm Branch at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival.
A story about three brothers from a small town somewhere in Texas. Jack O'Brien has a rather controversial and difficult relationship with his father (Brad Pitt), but an excellent relationship with a caring mother (Jessica Chastain). There is no direct storyline in the film, which helps to better see how the matured Jack (Sean Penn) struggles with the past, while trying to come to terms with his childhood and overcoming panic attacks.
"A crazy and compelling film," admires The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw, praising Malik's talent for "shamelessly large-scale reflections on love and loss."
In addition to the film's deeply spiritual and poetic grandeur, Emanuel Lubetzky's cinematography delights and stuns, connecting with the vision of Terrence Malick.
The "tree of life" is the very definition of the art of cinema. Yes, this is one of the greatest and most touching treatises on modern man that exists.
I clearly remember that after leaving the cinema, after watching The Tree of Life, I felt like an absolutely transformed person, having been subjected to something sad and sublime, miserable and esoteric. And aren't these the reasons why we watch movies? The Tree of Life is an ideal and grandiose picture.
2. "How the Cowardly Robert Ford Killed Jesse James" (2007)
Directed by Andrew Dominic, the messy and, as many argue, underrated film is an extremely humble and subtle tale of an Old West legend. In How the Cowardly Robert Ford Killed Jesse James, there are no good and bad characters clearly distinguished, but there is an abundance of mystery and symmetry.
Jesse James of Brad Pitt is just a walking contradiction: a cold-blooded killer, but a loving husband, a caring father, a humble legend. On his heels is the incredibly naive, crazy and arrogant Robert Ford (Casey Affleck). As the title suggests, Robert will kill Jesse, his hero, the idol of the old West. This is a truly entertaining film.
Cinematographer Roger Deakins and Andrew Dominic, with the support of Nick Cave, present many Western installations from a new, elegant and often frightening side. This gripping, captivating, thought-provoking picture is arguably the greatest western ever seen from a different angle.
1. "In the Mood for Love" (2000)
The problems of extinct pain from bygone moments and the often painful passage of time are raised in the film "In the Mood for Love" by Hong Kong director Wong Kar Wai. A paragon of agony and the enjoyment of restrained feelings, this film, like no other Wong's work, shows the importance of memories.
The second part of the trilogy, which began with "Wild Days" in 1990 and ended in "2046" in 2004, is set in Hong Kong in 1962 and tells the story of two neighbors living in a cramped apartment building. Maggie Chun and Tony Leung, both with their own families, soon become friends, which gives rise to not unfounded rumors about their romance.
The heartbreaking and sad tale of two lovers is exquisitely crafted by film star Christopher Doyle, who has worked with Wong on numerous occasions."In the Mood for Love" is filmed as if the camera is spying on the couple's sad romance, eavesdropping on their conversations.
The details of the film are incredibly impeccably worked out: for example, Jeon-san's dresses, decorated by Su Li-zhen, are beautiful in design, the saturation of colors and play of light are as light and expressive as the chosen musical accompaniment - it genuinely evokes and conveys all the nostalgia of the story. Vivid colors and unusual compositions make Wong's name synonymous with perfection and completeness.
Close to perfection, "In the Mood for Love" very intimately conveys the interplay of suffering and euphoria, which makes this story the saddest and most hopeless love song.
Posted by Shane Scott-Travis, critic, screenwriter, comic book writer, illustrator, and filmmaker. Living in Vancouver, Canada, Shane is a frequent visitor to movie theaters, dog parks, and can be found in some secluded nook paraphrasing Groucho Marx.
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