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BEST FILMS OF THE 1970SLIST:
March 14, 2011
After a few months of trying to watch through all the great 1970s films we had not yet seen, we at the Ze Cat offices finally gave up. There's just too much. The 70s were a great, great era for filmmakers. We did, however, put together lists of our favorite feature films for each year from the 70s (see below updates for more on that). From those lists, we made a master list of all our favorite films from the 1970s ... a tough task, no doubt. See some of the list below ...
21. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Milos Forman)
22. A Clockwork Orange (Stanley Kubrick)
23. Harold and Maude (Hal Ashby)
24. Mean Streets (Martin Scorsese)
25. The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (John Cassavetes)
26. Performance (Nic Roeg)
27. The Deer Hunter (Michael Cimino)
28. Rocky (John G. Avildsen
29. Being There (Hal Ashby)
30. Alien (Ridley Scott)
31. Gimme Shelter (Maysles Brothers)
32. MASH (Robert Altman)
33. A Woman Under the Influence (John Cassavetes)
34. Chinatown (Roman Polanski)
35. Day for Night (Francois Truffaut)
36. Serpico (Sidney Lumet)
37. The Last Picture Show (Peter Bogdanovich)
38. The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (Luis Bunuel)
39. Jaws (Steven Spielberg)
40. Dog Day Afternoon (Sidney Lumet)
41. The Conversation (Francis Ford Coppola)
42. Killer of Sheep (Charles Burnett)
43. McCabe & Mrs. Miller (Robert Altman)
44. The French Connection (William Friedkin)
45. The Conformist (Bernardo Bertolucci)
46. The Exorcist (William Friedkin)
47. Last Tango in Paris (Bernardo Bertolucci)
48. Equus (Sidney Lumet)
49. Star Wars (George Lucas)
50. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (Steven Spielberg)
GOLDEN CAT AWARD (BEST DIRECTOR OF THE DECADE): Francis Ford Coppola + Nic Roeg (Tie)
BEST ACTOR OF THE DECADE: Robert De Niro + Jack Nicholson (Tie)
Don't hold us to this list! Obviously, many of these films could and maybe should be higher than where they are ranked. Alien, for example, would probably be in most folks' Top 10 from the 70s, while Performance would probably not make most folks' lists. Just for fun.
Stay tuned, as we are in the final stages of putting together out long-labored new list: The Top 100 Films from the Past 40 Years. You thought this list was infuriating? Just wait for our new abomination!
Go HERE to see our complete Top 50 Films of the 1970s list. And, while you're there, be sure to check out our lists from the 1980s and 1990s. We'll be redoing our list for the 2000s soon, so keep on coming back!
Posted by G. William Locke
LIST: FILM LISTS FROM 1970-73
March 12, 2011
Last year we started posting all of our Movie and Music of the Year lists, starting with 2009 and going back to 1978. It was, needless to say, a huge job that took an awful lot of time and patience. Well, we've been meaning to finish off those lists for a long time now. And when I say "finish off," I mean that we always intended to go back to 1970. Well, finally, after a needed break, we've been working on getting those lists up on the site again. Below you'll find links for our lists from 1970 through 1973. Yes! We're finally finished with the 1970s! Stay tuned tomorrow, as we'll be posting our Best of the 1970s list. Then, soon after that, our Top 50 (or maybe 100) films from the last 40 years!
SCREENTIME: RANGO TAKES THE BOX!
March 11, 2011
ScreenRant: This week, let’s talk TV. And food. Why? Because I just saw a new TV show that I really, really liked called “America’s Next Great Restaurant.” As far as cooking/food-based shows go, I usually just don’t like ‘em. Too much fluff and, at best, they just make me want to eat, eat, eat. Most of them feature a host who is either constantly screaming and shouting or too precious for my taste. “ANGR” is, for my TV Eye, the most promising new Reality Game Show in a good while. The concept is easy: wannabe restaurateurs pitch their concept to some industry studs, the final prize being that they get to open three restaurants around the country (Chicago, New York and LA). With Americans supposedly eating out (and watching TV) more than ever right now, I get the feeling this show could do quite well. Or, who knows, maybe it’s just a great first episode. Falling right before this spring’s “Celebrity Apprentice” (which looks pretty crazy), the show will certainly get its chance to find viewers. Lots of good ideas, lots of personalities and, of course, fooooood. (Ps. We’re rooting for Stephanie’s healthy fast food concept and/or the grilled gourmet cheese dude.)
Tops at the Box: Yes! Rango took the No. 1 spot this past weekend! Finally, a good movie at the top of the box. This animated Western, which features Johnny Depp in the lead vocal role and is directed by Gore Verbinski (those dumb Pirates flicks and, more importantly, masterful comedies The Weather Man and The Mexican) brought in $38 million over its first three days. If you’ve not yet seen the film, a poster for the film, a commercial for the film or the trailer, then you’re missing out on one of the best production designs for an animated film in a long, long time. Since Wall-E, probably - at least as far as major productions go. We ScreenTimers have not yet seen the movie, but we will soon. Looks fantastic ... [Continued]
LIST: FILM LISTS FROM 1974-77
March 9, 2011
Last year we started posting all of our Movie and Music of the Year lists, starting with 2009 and going back to 1978. It was, needless to say, a huge job that took an awful lot of time and patience. Well, we've been meaning to finish off those lists for a long time now. And when I say "finish off," I mean that we always intended to go back to 1970. Well, finally, after a needed break, we've been working on getting those lists up on the site again. Below you'll find links for our lists from 1974 through 1977. More coming later in the week, so be sure to check back!
ALBUM: FIXIN' TO DIE
March 8, 2011
First, a little history. Personal history. Back in 1995, when I was at my idiot best, Garrett "G. Love" Dutton was my guy. Between his hit singles "Cold Beverages" and "Baby's Got Sauce," I thought the lanky singer/songwriter was the hippest dude on the planet, singing college-friendly songs about women and hanging out with the bros that leaned on elements of hip-hop, blues and folk. Then, in 1997, still an idiot, I flipped when his Yeah, It's That Easy was released. Flipped. By the time his 1999 album, Philadelphonic, hit the shelves I was a college dummy at Indiana University - the then-capitol to all jam-friendly music (which G strangely fit into at the time). I went to the guy's shows, tried to get him to hang out with me, knew all the songs by heart, etc. Ugh. Listening back to those records now, I kinda/sorta see why a few people made fun of me back in those salad days. That said, those records have some seriously fun songs on them.
When I spotted G's latest record, Fixin' To Die, at the record store a few days ago, I just had to check it out. The artwork was very cool and, from what I'd read, G was starting up something of a second stage of his career, recording here with The Avett Brothers. Those Bros, who are all the rage these days, are supposedly huge G fans, so much so that they've compared him to Bob Dylan (ha! dummies!). Well, they're putting their money where their mouths are, not only playing as G's backup band on the record, but producing the album, appearing in his videos and touring with him. Other connections to consider: 1) G helped "discover" Jack Johnson, who now puts out G's records on his Brushfire Records; 2) G is playing twang-y, timeless music this time around, with some classic covers thrown in for good measure; 3) G seems determined to appeal to a new crowd, almost completely dropping his rap-influenced vocal style in favor of a more straightforward singing approach ... [Continued]
ALBUM: KMAG YOYO
March 7, 2011
I bought Hayes Carll's last record, 2008's Trouble In Mind, the day it came out, if only because he was at the time touted as Lost Highway's great new hope. The record did very little for me, coming off as a half-developed batch of impersonations. So when KMAG YOYO (a military acronym for "Kiss My Ass Guys, You're On Your Own!") was released I wasn't exactly dragging the city looking for a copy. But then, on a bored Sunday, the album's cover art caught my eye. The image of Carll, standing on a Houston rooftop, boots off, looking dumb and silly, sucked me in, as did that funny title. I pulled out my phone, hit the 'net and read a few bits of press - all glowing - before buying the disc for eight bucks.
Carll has been compared to Townes Van Zandt and has written songs for Van Zandt's old pal, Guy Clark. He covers Tom Waits and plays with cowpunk legend Ray Wylie Hubbard. Former Ryan Adams buddy Brad Jones plays in Carll's band and produces his records. Carll also regularly claims that guys like John Prine, Kris Kristofferson, Bob Dylan, Jack Kerouac and even Peter Weir (via his Dead Poet's Society) are his influences. So yeah, on paper, this guy should be my favorite singer/songwriter since David Berman packed his guitar away two years ago. Not the case. I mean, I dig some of the songs on KMAG YOYO, in theory, but they're not the kinds of tracks that I find myself nagging friends about. To me, the guy, when at his best, is a Todd Snider rip-off - but without the brilliantly clever phrasing and often desperate sounding vocals. And, okay, maybe he has a little more pop appeal ... [Continued]
LIST: FAVORITE MOVIES OF 2010
March 5, 2011
Yep, that's right, we've updated the list now that we've seen more movies from 2010. As it stands, we've now seen just over 100 movies releases last year. Our Top 20 or so is pretty bulletproof at this point, but a few movies did shake things up a bit, including Blue Valentine and Another Year. Here's a look at some of the goods ...
MOVIES I STILL NEED TO SEE
1. Biutiful (Alejandro González Iñárritu) -
2. White Material (Claire Denis)
3. Dogtooth (Giorgos Lanthimos) -
4. Carlos (Olivier Assayas)
5. Barney's Version (Richard J. Lewis)
6. Life During Wartime (Todd Solondz) -
7. Tiny Furniture (Lena Dunham)
8. A Woman, A Gun and ... (Zhang Yimou)
9. Enter the Void (Noe) -
10. Fair Game (Doug Liman) -
11. Get Low (Aaron Schneider) -
FAVORITE FILMS OF 2010 (SAMPLE FROM THE MIDDLE)
40. It’s Kind of a Funny Story (Ryan Fleck) - 8/10
39. Harry Brown (Daniel Barber) - 8.25/10
38. The Next Three Days (Paul Haggis) - 8.5/10
37. Please Give (Nicole Holofcener) - 7.25/10
36. Somewhere (Sofia Coppola) - 7.25/10
35. The Kids Are All Right (Lisa Cholodenko) - 7.25/10
34. Never Let Me Go (Mark Romanek) - 7.25/10
33. I'm Still Here (Casey Affleck) - 7.25/10
32. Mother (Bong Joon-ho) - 8.5/10
31. Cyrus (Duplass Brothers) - 8.5/10
30. Toy Story 3 (Lee Unkrich) - 8.75/10
29. 127 Hours (Danny Boyle) - 8.75/10
28. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (Edgar Wright) - 8.75/10
27. Hereafter (Clint Eastwood) - 8.75/10
26. The Secret In Their Eyes (Juan Jose Campanella) - 8.75/10
25. Let Me In (Matt Reeves) - 8.75/10
24. Despicable Me (Pierre Coffin & Chris Renaud) - 8.75/10
23. Animal Kingdom (David Michod) - 8.75/10
22. The Ghost Writer (Roman Polanski) - 8.75/10
21. Jack Goes Boating (Philip Seymour Hoffman) - 8.75/10
BEST ACTRESS
Natalie Portman in Black Swan
Jennifer Lawrence in Winter’s Bone
Michelle Williams in Blue Valentine
Kim Hye-ja (Mother)
BEST ACTOR
Tahar Rahim in Un Prophete
Colin Firth in The King's Speech
Jesse Eisenberg in The Social Network
Michael Nyqvist in The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
You get it. Go HERE to check out the full list. The presentation is somewhat unformatted and rough at the moment; we'll change that once we work through all the movies we wanted to see in 2010. It was, for sure, one of the best years of recent memory, full of very good movies - though not too many great films.
Oh, and we've also been updating our 2009 list, as we've seen a few films (including the GREAT Fish Tank) from that year that we somehow missed. Not the best year ever for film, but there was definitely some good stuff. Go HERE to check out those updates.
FILM: THE FREEBIE
March 4, 2011
I'll start with the one bone I need to pick: the title of the movie, The Freebie. The name implies that the film is fun and lighthearted. Sure, at times. But, as a whole, this is a serious story that will surely be relatable to a whole lot of people. And, while I'm on the topic, I get the impression that a lot of people were misled by both the poster (which makes it look like an Jud Apatow movie) and the casting of Dax Shepard, who is mostly known for his comedic roles. Thus, I'd guess, the low score the movie has on IMDb. The unreasonably low score.
So, I'm guessing, someone along the way knew that this was a pretty great movie and thus wanted it to be one that people would see. Thus the title. Thus the poster. Thus all the wrong people seeing this movie. The Freebie is for fans of Noah Baumbach and Joe Swanberg.
What The Freebie is is naturalistic drama done right. The story is simple: a happy couple decide to "fix" their bedroom apathy by taking a single night to go out and share some bone with a stranger. Both Katie Aselton and Shepard are fantastic, both as lovers and as people going through a mighty big challenge together. Much of the dialogue in the first two acts plays through in a way that makes you wish it was your relationship - the two leads seeming so uniquely happy together at times that you get the feeling that Aselton took from her personal life for the script. Things change a bit in the third act, as they should. Things get, well, heavy. ... [Continued]
ALBUM: THE KING OF LIMBS
March 2, 2011
I’ve long been very suspicious of the many Radiohead haters out there, especially the ones who used to be big fans. Now, it’s okay if you just plain ‘ol don’t like the band anymore, but if you are out there rallying against the band, talking trash and saying “they suck,” then I’ve got my third eye aimed at you and your suspicious motives. Why? Well, because I think incredibly highly of Radiohead, both as artists and as a symbol.
Here’s the thing: since the end of The White Stripes just weeks ago, you won’t be able to find me a band working at their level (festival headliners, Grammy performers, magazine cover regulars, endcap foci, etc.) who are out there doing exactly what they want to do with no compromises or outside influences. They write politically controversial lyrics and play music that, to mainstream ears, is often challenging. And sure, the songs aren’t as accessible as they used to be. And if you don’t like that, fine, move on. But faulting a band - especially a band at their level - for continuing to grow and follow their own artistic instincts? Well, shame on you. Your motives make you look like someone who doesn’t understand the point of art - to create, grow, express and challenge. Radiohead, without a doubt, are cutting edge artists who do all these things, and have been doing them quite successfully since The Bends came out almost two decades ago. That they’ve kept their edge all these years, and through so much commercial success, makes them the mainstream band of their time. Not quite the Beatles level of long term artistic relevance but far surpassing Pink Floyd and bands of a similar level of artistic and creative success.
Me, I’m a hardcore Radiohead fan and believer dating back to 1997, when the genre-changing OK Computer was released and I was first growing hair on my face. Yeah, my enthusiasm for their music has dropped steadily since Hail to the Thief was released, but my admiration for everything they’d done (and how they’ve done it), including the brand new The King of Limbs, has only grown. In fact, it’s Limbs, an amazing record that came out of nowhere, that has me saying all of these things - coming to all these revelations. Clocking in at eight tracks over 37 minutes (and released once again in a wholly original, independent manner), Limbs is the band’s most cohesive and powerful release since 2000’s now-classic game changer Kid A.
Where In Rainbows was a somewhat accessible record (for this band, at least) that was driven by the band’s live performances, Limbs is an absolute studio record that has the feel of an art project carefully built in a room, by masters, very meticulously and over a long period of time. The guitar arrangements still aren’t the OK Computer-like focus that everyone wishes they’d be, but Phil Selway’s always-great percussion work steps up in a major way, the result being an album that features some of the best drum arrangements and production you’ll ever hear. Longtime collaborator Nigel Godrich, who has been involved with the band since The Bends, once again produces, offering his golden touch to the band’s dark, complex and nuanced sound ... [Continued]
SCREENTIME: OSCAR AND UNCLE
March 1, 2011
James Franco, you silly, silly dude. I’ve loved ya since “Freaks & Geeks” and have, like many, quite enjoyed the nutty couple of years you’ve recently put together. Your performance as co-host at this year’s Oscar show keeps your leftfield run going strong. Were you high? What were you looking at all night? Was that experimental enunciation or were you preparing for a new soap opera character? No need for answers, I thought the performance was a treat, and easily the most interesting part of the night. Sure, it made a lot of old farts happy that the very good The King’s Speech won Best Actor, Best Original Screenplay, Best Director and Best Picture. And sure, I was glad that an art house movie featuring a great, great cast did so well. But damn, I though this year’s show was one of the worst of recent memory. That said, on my tally sheet I got all 11 major awards correct but one, Best Director. I had David Fincher down instead of Tom Hooper, who did do a great job. My Wish List, however, is a different story. Most of those picks were wrong. Wins for Aaron Sorkin, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale, Randy Newman, Wally Pfister and the run of technical wins for Inception all made me happy, as did every second of screen time the producers gave the drop dead gorgeous Jennifer Lawrence. As a whole, I’d say that the night was a definite bummer. The King’s Speech is a great movie, but not one that will stand tall as a deserving Best Picture winner. In my book, as long as Christopher Nolan is making movies, there are very few who can compete with him. My pick for best picture of 2010? Hmmm … tough call. I’d have been happy with Inception, The Social Network or Black Swan. Or even Another Year, which wasn’t nominated. Oh, and one more thing: weren’t we all kinda/sorta waiting for the next piece in the Banksy puzzle? Talk about a let down ... [Continued]
Note: There were quite a few last minute updates in February 2011, so
be sure to head over to the February archives by clicking the above link.