Top 20 Movies of the Decade (2000-2009)

After waiting a year (almost) for the movies of 2000-2009 to fully sink in, we’re finally prepared to unleash our best of the decade list. Hold on to your butts.

20. Memento – The infamous “backwards movie” that really launched Christopher Nolan’s career (The Dark Knight, The Prestige, Inception). Nolan packs enough action into his movies to satisfy most everyone, but at the root of his best movies are unique story/narrative concepts that are fully developed and realized via complex plots. Hard to believe that some thought of him as a “gimmick” movie maker when Memento first came out.

19.  Cloverfield – A documentary style horror movie, effectively crossing Godzilla with The Blair Witch Project. Maybe not completely beloved by critics, but beloved by me. Cloverfield‘s faithfulness to its point of view gives the unfolding horrors a sense of realism that heightens their impact.

18. Nine Lives – Nine loosely connected, interwoven vignettes, written and directed by Rodrigo Garcia, son of famed Latin American author, Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

17. Dogville – Lars Von Trier’s controversial 2003 movie starring Nicole Kidman and set on a stage with no props, backdrops, or scenery. Very dark.

16. Adaptation – Charlie Kaufman and his fictional twin, Donald, attempt to adapt Susan Orlean’s  The Orchid Thief.

15. The King of Kong – This documentary tells the story of the all-time Donkey Kong arcade game record, which is surprisingly dramatic. There’s sabotage, conspiracy, and an antagonist so villainous, you wouldn’t believe it if it wasn’t real. Plus a lot of hilarious nerds.

14. O Brother, Where Art Thou? – The Coen Brothers teamed up with George Clooney to make a Depression-era retelling of Homer’s The Odyssey.

13. The Man Who Wasn’t There – Billy Bob Thornton stars in this barber shop Noir. My favorite Coen Brothers movie of the decade, even if it’s not the most critically acclaimed.

12. Brick – This is what happens when you view a high school drama through a Noir lens.

11. The Descent – A horror movie that rises to the challenge of having an actual story with real characters, while remaining truly scary. (Side note: In seventh grade, I made it to the southwest semifinal spelling bee for my state, and I got out on my first word. Descent. Ever since, the word has terrified me.)

10. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind – Charlie Kaufman’s “what if we could pay to erase our bad memories?” movie, starring Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet.

9. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King – Peter Jackson’s fantasy trilogy is probably the best execution ever in this genre.

8. Let the Right One In – Swedish vampire movie that on the surface sounds similar to the plot of something like Twilight, but in reality works as a totally unique, quirky horror movie.

7. Inglourious Basterds – Most critics prefer the Kill Bill movies, but despite many openly sophomoric elements, Basterds struck me as Tarantino’s most mature movie, and it’s my favorite of his from this decade, and maybe my favorite over all.

6. A Tale of Two Sisters – This Korean horror movie combines a “what the hell is going on” plot with a variety of creepy visuals.  It has stuck with me for about 7 years.  (It also was remade into the horrible American horror movie “The Uninvited“.)

5. Shotgun Stories – A blood feud erupts between two families in a rural Arkansas town, and it’s not long before both sides go too far.

4. Amelie – A French story about an eccentric girl and her first secret adventures after a childhood of isolation.

3. The Station Agent – A lonesome dwarf inherits an old train station building in rural New Jersey and befriends some of the locals.

2. The Best of Youth – Originally made for Italian TV, this 6 hour mini-series/movie tells the story of 2 brothers, covering from their high school years up through adulthood.

1. Grizzly Man – The life and death of Timothy Treadwell – the guy who voluntarily lived among the bears in the wild of Alaska for months at a time – filmed by Treadwell himself and pieced together into a documentary by Werner Herzog after Treadwell’s death.  I watched this over 5 years ago and still think about it a lot. It didn’t win the Oscar, in fact it wasn’t even nominated, but it’s number 1 in our book.

Ranking the New Shows: #8 – True Blood

Crap! Fall is here and we’ve falling behind on our rankings.  Let’s try to speed this up.
“True Blood” is up at number 8. The show is incredibly faithful to the whole vampire thing… and by that I mean it sucks.

The show: “True Blood“
Synopsis: Girl bangs vampire.
Debuted: September 7th, 2008
Our take: It’s a good thing for HBO’s “True Blood” that I ranked these shows before the second season came out. While the show’s Nielsen ratings have doubled from last year, they lost at least two viewers in the TV Casualties screening room.

I gave the show 14 or 15 episodes before I threw in the towel. Looking back, the pilot struck me as mediocre, especially considering the talent behind the series. From that point, the series went downhill quickly. I was such a big fan of Alan Ball’s “Six Feet Under” that when I first heard about HBO developing this series, I ran out and read all of the books it’s based on.  I haven’t hated a show this much since “Nip/Tuck,” and I might hate this one more because I had so much invested in it.

What it would need to do to keep me watching: There’s so much wrong with “True Blood” that I can’t imagine it surviving any of the surgical removals I’d recommend. Mainly Anna Paquin. I can’t recall encountering a more obnoxious, irrational, and just plain dumb main character in any book, show, or movie.

Instant Reaction: True Blood “Nothing But the Blood,” 6/14/09

“Doesn’t it always seem like you’re apologizing or yelling at me?” Sam Merlotte said to Sookie in the “True Blood” season 2 premiere.   Yikes.  He basically nailed the biggest flaw of the first season.  Sookie is petty, whiny and snotty.  For someone that can read others’ thoughts, she has very little empathy.  At times it’s hard to watch.   Hopefully that bit of dialogue means that the writers are aware of this problem.

And with that one line, Sam became a more complex and interesting character.  It also marked the first time in the show that someone got the best of an argument with Sookie, which is pretty unbelievable considering how irrational she is.  Still, it was a step in the right direction.

The show seems to be taking a more complex track altogether.  The first season focused almost entirely on the murder mystery and Sookie and Bill’s romance with the subplots left a bit messy.  This year’s debut introduced much clearer long term storylines for Lafayette, Jason, Bill, Jessica, Sam and Tara (though Eric’s role is admittedly mysterious at this point).  Even the two cops seem to have a defined conflict and purpose.  Plus Bud had a spectacular square dancing shirt.

Signs of progress in the sophomore year? Yes.  Still, “True Blood” needs to make Sookie more endearing or they risk losing a huge portion of the audience.  After all, only about 50% of the population is going to be won over by hot vampires.

Also of note:  the episode opens with something of a big twist for Charlaine Harris fans.  The body discovered in the back of the car outside of Merlotte’s that served as the cliffhanger of the 1st season?  It’s not Lafayette like it is in the books.  Nope.  It’s Miss Jeanatte of insane (and fake) exorcism fame.

Tonight’s the Night: True Blood Season 2

Season 2 of “True Blood” premieres tonight at 9 pm. We’ve gathered up a slew of videos and pics to satisfy your blood lust over those last few hours. We’ll also have an instant response up tonight shortly after the episode airs, so be sure to check back.

Here Stephen Moyer goes way out of his way (and well off the red carpet) to pose for photos and sign autographs for fans. He actually seems like a really nice guy:

Hollywood Access interviews several key cast members at the S2 premiere in LA:

HBO’s S2 Trailer:

Photos:

Remember to check back tonight for the TV Casualties instant response to “Nothing but the Blood,” the S2 opener of “True Blood“.

Handmade Awesomeness: Vampire Edition

With the release of Season 1 of HBO’s “True Blood” on DVD this week, we scoured Etsy for the best handmade vampire gear.

Here are the choicest nugs:

Vamp Clothing

Gothic Bridal skirt, floor length tulle tutu skirt by MTcoffinzUnderground
Mens Glow in the Dark Nosferatu t-shirt by nwshirts
Widow Corset Top DiY by aNGrYGiRLGear
driving me BATTY dress by smarmyclothes

Vamp Jewelry

Lolita Skull Bow Earrings by StarrlightJewelry
A Little Drop Of Bella by BuyMyCrap
TrueBlood Fangbanger wooden bangle by faboo
Vampire Protection Necklace by Arete
Purple Dead Rose Demon Skull Heart Necklace by devilandmouse
TrueBlood Sookie Insipired Bitten Hand Stamped Bracelet by MindyKuen
Bloody Bat Heart Necklace by SyntheticSeduction
Carpe Noctem by UntamedMenagerie

More Vampy Fun

Too Bad You Are Not a Vampire Valentine Card Hand Printed Gocco by tinaseamonster
Vampire Martini Glass Set by cccreations
Plush Stake – Essential Tool by FurWillFly
Vampires Welcome by CountryWorkshop
Vampire Spell Spell Candle by purplesuncandles
HORRORSHOW Soap – GLOWS in the DARK -TRUE BLOOD – DRAGONS BLOOD Scent by dugshop