The somewhat cheeky (if not inaccurate) title - as well as the concept - for this post come from a similarly named feature at Stylus Magazine from late 2007. Not withstanding my previous reservations about the efficacy of the list in film criticism, I view this as a good opportunity to reflect back on the previous eight-plus years of film and to collect a sampling of online criticism - both popular and semi-academic - covering the ten features that I've selected, even as, per the post's title, we've got another 991 1/2 years left to go.Below you'll find the ten films ranked in order and followed by a selection of links to the relevant critical pieces.
The Art of Memory, "Thirteen Images of Walking Through Fog from Werckmeister Harmonies"
Fred Camper, "Preserving Disorder"
Chris Fujiwara, "Reality Cinema: Béla Tarr's Werckmeister Harmonies"
Jeremiah Kipp, "Werckmeister Harmonies"
Gabe Klinger, "Hope Deep Within: Béla Tarr's Werckmeister Harmonies"
Jonathan Romney, "Outside the Whale"
Andrew Schenker, "Adapting Krasznahorkai"
Jeremiah Kipp, "Werckmeister Harmonies"
Gabe Klinger, "Hope Deep Within: Béla Tarr's Werckmeister Harmonies"
Jonathan Romney, "Outside the Whale"
Andrew Schenker, "Adapting Krasznahorkai"
Acquarello, "Platform"
Ed Gonzalez, "Platform"
J. Hoberman, "All the World's a Stage: Pop Art as History in a Chinese Epic"
Darren Hughes, "Platform"
Chet Mellema, "Platform"
3. Mulholland Drive - David Lynch - 2001
Ed Gonzalez, "Platform"
J. Hoberman, "All the World's a Stage: Pop Art as History in a Chinese Epic"
Darren Hughes, "Platform"
Chet Mellema, "Platform"
3. Mulholland Drive - David Lynch - 2001
Ed Gonzalez, "Mulholland Drive"
J. Hoberman, "Points of No Return"
Maximilian Le Cain, "In Dreams: A Review of Mulholland Drive"
Kirsten Ostherr and Arash Abizadeh, "Amnesia, Obsession, Cinematic U-Turns: On Mulholland Drive"
Michael Joshua Rowin, "This Magic Moment"
Matt Zoller Seitz, "Mulholland Drive"
Scott Thill, "The Not-So-Straight Story: David Lynch's Mulholland Drive"
4. Three Times - Hou Hsiao-Hsien - 2005
Manohla Dargis, "'Three Times' Tells Three Stories of Love, Each Illuminated by an Inner Light"
J. Hoberman, "Repeat Performance"
Jonathan Rosenbaum, "History and Love"
Nick Schager, "Three Times"
Dag Sødtholt, "The Complexity of Minimalism: Hou Hsiao-Hsien's Three Times"
Charles R. Warner, "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: Hou Hsiao-Hsien's Optics of Ephemerality"
5. The Wayward Cloud - Tsai Ming-Liang - 2005
Helen Bandis, Adrian Martin and Grant McDonald, "The 400 Blow Jobs"
Chris Fujiwara, "The Round, the Flat and the Impossible: The Wayward Cloud"
Ian Johnston, "How Sweet to be a Cloud"
Daivd Phelps, "Multiple Personality Films"
Keith Uhlich, "The Wayward Cloud"
6. L'Enfant - Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne - 2005
James Crawford (with Nick Pinkerton and Jeanette Catsoulis), "Amazing Grace: Jean-Piere and Luc Dardenne's L'Enfant"
Ed Gonzalez, "L'Enfant"
J. Hoberman, "A Child Escaped"
Ed Gonzalez, "L'Enfant"
J. Hoberman, "A Child Escaped"
Ian Johnston, "We're Just Taller Children"
Armond White, "Baby Dance"
7. Grizzly Man - Werner Herzog - 2005
Armond White, "Baby Dance"
7. Grizzly Man - Werner Herzog - 2005
Michael Atkinson, "Claws and Effect"
Dan Jardine and Ben Livant, "Werner Herzog's Grizzly Man"
Chris Justice, "Grizzly Man"
Omar Odeh, "Signs of Life"
Nick Schager, "Grizzly Man"
Andrew Schenker, "Flaherty's Indifferent Universe; Herzog's Malevolent Universe"
8. Millennium Mambo - Hou Hsiao-Hsien - 2001
Dan Jardine and Ben Livant, "Werner Herzog's Grizzly Man"
Chris Justice, "Grizzly Man"
Omar Odeh, "Signs of Life"
Nick Schager, "Grizzly Man"
Andrew Schenker, "Flaherty's Indifferent Universe; Herzog's Malevolent Universe"
8. Millennium Mambo - Hou Hsiao-Hsien - 2001
J. Hoberman, "Goodbye Youth, Goodbye"
Dennis Lim, "Let it Snow"
Andrew Schenker, "Audio in Hou's Millennium Mambo"
Dennis Lim, "Let it Snow"
Andrew Schenker, "Audio in Hou's Millennium Mambo"
Godfrey Cheshire, "Jacques Rivette Adopts a Classic of French Realist Cinema"
Glenn Kenny, "The Duchess of Langeais"
Nathan Lee, "The Duchess of Langeais: She Got Game"
David Phelps, "Worlds Apart: The Girl Can't Help It"
Dan Callahan, "A Woman in Trouble is Rescued and Loved"
Fernando F. Croce, "Inland Empire: Dark... and Inescapable"
Ed Gonzalez, "Inland Empire"
J. Hoberman, "Wild at Heart"
Jonathan Rosenbaum, "Hollywood from the Fringes"
Keith Uhlich, "Strange What Love Does: David Lynch's INLAND EMPIRE"
4 comments:
Interesting list. Certainly applaud the inclusion of L'Enfant, Platform, Mulholland Drive and Millennium Mambo (which I hold in much higher regard than Three Times, but any Hou picture is worthy of serious consideration). I would question Lynch and Hou both finding their way onto your list twice, considering the well of films to choose from in compiling a "so far" list of this kind. My list would certainly include In the Mood for Love, and perhaps I'm more partial to English language fare such as The New World or Before Sunset. But anytime we engage in listmaking -- as much as I love it -- we really approach an almost pure subjectivity in which the listmaker can always defend his choices. So maybe what I can take from your efforts are a few films to add to my Netflix queue -- notably The Wayword Cloud -- with the endoresement of a reliable source. Enjoyed the post...I hope you get some more comments.
Thanks, Chet.
There's no question that any such list is a largely subjective exercise, but I think it can be instructive on several counts. I'm glad the post has encouraged you to check out some of the films, since that's really the best justification for such a project. That and the chance to compile so much great critical work (including your own fine piece on Platform) in one place.
As for including Hou and Lynch twice, well, I guess if any filmmaker deserved the double dip, it would be Hou - and I'm glad that you're a fan of the vastly underrated Millennium Mambo - it was difficult to dig up enough good criticism of the film since much of what was written on that work is casually dismissive and thus virtually useless. INLAND EMPIRE came in at number ten and there were many other contenders for that spot, so I certainly could have gone in several directions there, but I think it's really a remarkable film - a radical work that really pushes a certain aesthetic and narrative approach as far as it can go. It will be fascinating to see where Lynch goes next.
hey,
great list. i dont think i could ever just post a list of top 10.
so kudos for that! Love the inclusion of the Wayward Cloud. Might be my fav tsai film along with What Time is it There? i would put a wong kar wai film up there. I cherish In the Mood for Love and 2046, equally, if that is possbile. Finally, i wouldnt mind a woman director/auteur up there such as claire denis, who is vastly underrated (trouble everday would make my top 5 i think and l'intrus keeps growing more and more on me) and apichatpong weresathakul's tropical malady, in which i simply lost my mind and was able to let my senses do all the work.
Thanks Rahul,
I'm working on a top 100 list right now for Slant Magazine and it will certainly feature In the Mood for Love, Tropical Malady and several Claire Denis films!
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