“They dont make ´em like they used to” it is often said, and the MacMahonian´s numerous readership could be excused from feeling our editorial line doesn’t totally disagree.
No, they dont make ´em like they used. As a matter of fact, they never did. They always made ´em like they make ´em and they still do. A point which, pace the MacMahonian´s confessed perennial love for tinseltown´s Golden Age, shouldn’t require arguing. But in case it does the BBC has helpfully recently published a list of the top 100 modern films (modern as in directed after 2000) to prove there´s still as much magic on the silver screen as there ever was.
Which provides an irresistible opportunity for polemic. In the MacMahonian´s view, the BBC´s list deserves praise for its relative diversity (almost half of the films listed are non-US productions) but perhaps a more reserved appraisal of its overall criteria: I´ve seen about 70% of the films listed (below I rank slightly less, for honesty compels to admit I all but forgot 3 or 4…) and I declare at best half of them deserve XXI Century top 100 honours. the rest varies between the passable and the cockamamie, with 1 or 2 instances of the downright embarrassing. Also, a few canons (namely, Coens, Cronenberg, Fincher, Lynch, Nolan, Spielberg, tarantino) deserve more profuse presence and some omissions (JC Chandor, Shyamalan) are blatant.
So to set the record straight, and using the time-hounoured (and with some justification much maligned) hotel-like star system championed by Cahiers do Cinema back in the 50s, below the MacMahonian´s BBC top 100 (actually only about 70) as reordered in 3 categories:
(1) films who make the grade – 5/4 stars;
(2) films with varying degrees of interest – 2/3 stars;
(3) purlease – 1 star/black ball.
Plus next to the title, in brackets, the ranking awarded by the Beeb to i gauge the level of approximation between the BBC list and the MacMahonian appreciation (just for 5 and 4 stars). As you´ll see, only 35 films make the grade and of those, only 16 (underlinedI are relatively adequately ranked. Here goes:
*****
1 - A.I. Artificial Intelligence (Steven Spielberg, 2001) (83)
2 - Mulholland Drive (David Lynch, 2001) (1)
3- Inglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino, 2009 (62)
4 - Inception (Christopher Nolan, 2010) (51)
5 - Tabu (Miguel Gomes, 2012) (71)
6 - Memento (Christopher Nolan, 2000)(25)
7 - No Country for Old Men (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2007) (10)
8 - Zero Dark Thirty (Kathryn Bigelow, 2012) (57)
9 - Holy Motors (Leos Carax, 2012) (16)
10 - The Wolf of Wall Street (Martin Scorsese, 2013) (78)
11 - Spirited Away (Hayao Miyazaki, 2001) (4)
12- Ratatouille (Brad Bird, 2007) (93)
13 - The Secret in Their Eyes (Juan José Campanella, 2009) (91)
14 - Talk to Her (Pedro Almodóvar, 2002) (28)
15 - WALL-E (Andrew Stanton, 2008) (29)
16 - The Social Network (David Fincher, 2010) (27)
17 - Mad Max: Fury Road (George Miller, 2015) (19)
18 - Under the Skin (Jonathan Glazer, 2013) (61)
19 - The Lives of Others (Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, 2006) (32)
20 - Finding Nemo (Andrew Stanton, 2003) (96)
21 - Moulin Rouge! (Baz Luhrmann, 2001) (53)
22 - Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter…and Spring (Kim Ki-duk, 2003) (66)
****
23. A History of Violence (David Cronenberg, 2005) (59)
24. A Prophet (Jacques Audiard, 2009) (85)
25. Her (Spike Jonze, 2013) (84)
26. Oldboy (Park Chan-wook, 2003) (30)
27. Brokeback Mountain (Ang Lee, 2005) (40)
28. The Master (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2012) (24)
30. Dogville (Lars von Trier, 2003) (31)
32. The Royal Tenenbaums (Wes Anderson, 2001) (68)
33. Amour (Michael Haneke, 2012) (42)
34. Son of Saul (László Nemes, 2015) (34)
35. Spring Breakers (Harmony Korine, 2012) (74)
***
36. City of God (Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund, 2002)
35. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Ang Lee, 2000)
86. Far From Heaven (Todd Haynes, 2002)
75. Inherent Vice (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2014)
11. Inside Llewyn Davis (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2013)
41. Inside Out (Pete Docter, 2015)
22. Lost in Translation (Sofia Coppola, 2003)
82. A Serious Man (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2009)
33. The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan, 2008)
67. The Hurt Locker (Kathryn Bigelow, 2008)
90. The Pianist (Roman Polanski, 2002)
7. The Tree of Life (Terrence Malick, 2011)
18. The White Ribbon (Michael Haneke, 2009)
3. There Will Be Blood (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2007)
44. 12 Years a Slave (Steve McQueen, 2013)
12. Zodiac (David Fincher, 2007)
**
69. Carol (Todd Haynes, 2015)
55. Ida (Paweł Pawlikowski, 2013)
2. In the Mood for Love (Wong Kar-wai, 2000)
72. Only Lovers Left Alive (Jim Jarmusch, 2013)
17. Pan's Labyrinth (Guillermo Del Toro, 2006)
50. The Assassin (Hou Hsiao-hsien, 2015)
92. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (Andrew Dominik, 2007)
77. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Julian Schnabel, 2007)
21. The Grand Budapest Hotel (Wes Anderson, 2014)
64. The Great Beauty (Paolo Sorrentino, 2013)
39. The New World (Terrence Malick, 2005)
52. Tropical Malady (Apichatpong Weerasethakul, 2004)
*
79. Almost Famous (Cameron Crowe, 2000)
48. Brooklyn (John Crowley, 2015)
49. Goodbye to Language (Jean-Luc Godard, 2014)
43. Melancholia (Lars von Trier, 2011)
●
87. Amélie (Jean-Pierre Jeunet, 2001)
No, they dont make ´em like they used. As a matter of fact, they never did. They always made ´em like they make ´em and they still do. A point which, pace the MacMahonian´s confessed perennial love for tinseltown´s Golden Age, shouldn’t require arguing. But in case it does the BBC has helpfully recently published a list of the top 100 modern films (modern as in directed after 2000) to prove there´s still as much magic on the silver screen as there ever was.
Which provides an irresistible opportunity for polemic. In the MacMahonian´s view, the BBC´s list deserves praise for its relative diversity (almost half of the films listed are non-US productions) but perhaps a more reserved appraisal of its overall criteria: I´ve seen about 70% of the films listed (below I rank slightly less, for honesty compels to admit I all but forgot 3 or 4…) and I declare at best half of them deserve XXI Century top 100 honours. the rest varies between the passable and the cockamamie, with 1 or 2 instances of the downright embarrassing. Also, a few canons (namely, Coens, Cronenberg, Fincher, Lynch, Nolan, Spielberg, tarantino) deserve more profuse presence and some omissions (JC Chandor, Shyamalan) are blatant.
So to set the record straight, and using the time-hounoured (and with some justification much maligned) hotel-like star system championed by Cahiers do Cinema back in the 50s, below the MacMahonian´s BBC top 100 (actually only about 70) as reordered in 3 categories:
(1) films who make the grade – 5/4 stars;
(2) films with varying degrees of interest – 2/3 stars;
(3) purlease – 1 star/black ball.
Plus next to the title, in brackets, the ranking awarded by the Beeb to i gauge the level of approximation between the BBC list and the MacMahonian appreciation (just for 5 and 4 stars). As you´ll see, only 35 films make the grade and of those, only 16 (underlinedI are relatively adequately ranked. Here goes:
*****
1 - A.I. Artificial Intelligence (Steven Spielberg, 2001) (83)
2 - Mulholland Drive (David Lynch, 2001) (1)
3- Inglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino, 2009 (62)
4 - Inception (Christopher Nolan, 2010) (51)
5 - Tabu (Miguel Gomes, 2012) (71)
6 - Memento (Christopher Nolan, 2000)(25)
7 - No Country for Old Men (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2007) (10)
8 - Zero Dark Thirty (Kathryn Bigelow, 2012) (57)
9 - Holy Motors (Leos Carax, 2012) (16)
10 - The Wolf of Wall Street (Martin Scorsese, 2013) (78)
11 - Spirited Away (Hayao Miyazaki, 2001) (4)
12- Ratatouille (Brad Bird, 2007) (93)
13 - The Secret in Their Eyes (Juan José Campanella, 2009) (91)
14 - Talk to Her (Pedro Almodóvar, 2002) (28)
15 - WALL-E (Andrew Stanton, 2008) (29)
16 - The Social Network (David Fincher, 2010) (27)
17 - Mad Max: Fury Road (George Miller, 2015) (19)
18 - Under the Skin (Jonathan Glazer, 2013) (61)
19 - The Lives of Others (Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, 2006) (32)
20 - Finding Nemo (Andrew Stanton, 2003) (96)
21 - Moulin Rouge! (Baz Luhrmann, 2001) (53)
22 - Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter…and Spring (Kim Ki-duk, 2003) (66)
****
23. A History of Violence (David Cronenberg, 2005) (59)
24. A Prophet (Jacques Audiard, 2009) (85)
25. Her (Spike Jonze, 2013) (84)
26. Oldboy (Park Chan-wook, 2003) (30)
27. Brokeback Mountain (Ang Lee, 2005) (40)
28. The Master (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2012) (24)
30. Dogville (Lars von Trier, 2003) (31)
32. The Royal Tenenbaums (Wes Anderson, 2001) (68)
33. Amour (Michael Haneke, 2012) (42)
34. Son of Saul (László Nemes, 2015) (34)
35. Spring Breakers (Harmony Korine, 2012) (74)
***
36. City of God (Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund, 2002)
35. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Ang Lee, 2000)
86. Far From Heaven (Todd Haynes, 2002)
75. Inherent Vice (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2014)
11. Inside Llewyn Davis (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2013)
41. Inside Out (Pete Docter, 2015)
22. Lost in Translation (Sofia Coppola, 2003)
82. A Serious Man (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2009)
33. The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan, 2008)
67. The Hurt Locker (Kathryn Bigelow, 2008)
90. The Pianist (Roman Polanski, 2002)
7. The Tree of Life (Terrence Malick, 2011)
18. The White Ribbon (Michael Haneke, 2009)
3. There Will Be Blood (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2007)
44. 12 Years a Slave (Steve McQueen, 2013)
12. Zodiac (David Fincher, 2007)
**
69. Carol (Todd Haynes, 2015)
55. Ida (Paweł Pawlikowski, 2013)
2. In the Mood for Love (Wong Kar-wai, 2000)
72. Only Lovers Left Alive (Jim Jarmusch, 2013)
17. Pan's Labyrinth (Guillermo Del Toro, 2006)
50. The Assassin (Hou Hsiao-hsien, 2015)
92. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (Andrew Dominik, 2007)
77. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Julian Schnabel, 2007)
21. The Grand Budapest Hotel (Wes Anderson, 2014)
64. The Great Beauty (Paolo Sorrentino, 2013)
39. The New World (Terrence Malick, 2005)
52. Tropical Malady (Apichatpong Weerasethakul, 2004)
*
79. Almost Famous (Cameron Crowe, 2000)
48. Brooklyn (John Crowley, 2015)
49. Goodbye to Language (Jean-Luc Godard, 2014)
43. Melancholia (Lars von Trier, 2011)
●
87. Amélie (Jean-Pierre Jeunet, 2001)