Mick LaSalle's 20 Best (US) Movies of the Millennium ...

[XXtwindad]

The movie reviewer for the Chronicle. I typically really like his take on things.

He has the following movies listed in the top five:

1) 25th Hour
2) Inglorious Basterds
3) The New World
4) Vox Lux
5) Boyhood

https://datebook.sfchronicle.com/movies-tv/the-40-best-films-of-the-millennium


I haven't yet seen "Boyhood" or "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" (#12) or "A Most Violent Year (#14). So, can't comment. On the to-do list. I did see "The Irishman" (#7) and thought it was really overrated.

Films I thought should've made the cut:

1) "The Reader". My favorite film of the past 20 years.
2) "The Royal Tenenbaums." Wes Anderson can't go wrong.
3) "Argo". taut, stay-on-the-edge of your seat drama.
4) "Fruitvale Station". Gripping retelling of an explosive event that happened very close to where I live.
5) "The Shape of Water." Haunting and atmospheric.
6) "The Inside Man." Three great actors at the top of their game.

Others?

[P K]

One of my favorite movies of all time
" In the Loop" by Armando Ianucci (he later brought us Veep)

[fiamme red]

Man on Wire
The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara
An Inconvenient Truth

[72gmc]

+1 for In the Loop, and I hope to see The Death of Stalin soon.

My list might include Little Bird and Arrival.

[XXtwindad]

Man on Wire
The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara
An Inconvenient Truth

I might switch "Man on Wire" out for "The Inside Man." "The Fog of War" was also great. Really an artful look at one of the brightest and misguided minds in recent memory.

I wasn't a fan of "Inconvenient Truth." It's an important movie, but Al Gore can be insufferable.

[Mzilliox]

Her

[prototoast]

A few that haven't been mentioned that would have been on my list...

Legally Blonde, Kill Bill Vol. 1, Mean Girls, Almost Famous.

[Matthew]

Doesn't take much to entertain me. I like comedies mostly. I freaking love This is 40. Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann. My wife and I have watched it 4-5 times or more and crack up every time. Never seems to get mentioned when funny movies are discussed but for us it's one of the best ever.

[Elefantino]

My god, "The Irishman"?

It was a) too long, b) too long and c) too long. It has some great performances (Joe Pesci first among them) but it was too long.

And it was too long.

"Goodfellas," it was not. That, IMNSHO, remains Scorsese's magnum opus.

I'd have added "Spotlight," "Crash," "Slumdog Millionaire," "Inception," and "Marriage Story." And maybe "Hacksaw Ridge" and "Gladiator" for the non-bloody averse.

[Gummee]

I don't see how you can have a 'best movies' list without Galaxy Quest and 5th Element in there.

M

[XXtwindad]

My god, "The Irishman"?

It was a) too long, b) too long and c) too long. It has some great performances (Joe Pesci first among them) but it was too long.

And it was too long.

"Goodfellas," it was not. That, IMNSHO, remains Scorsese's magnum opus.

I'd have added "Spotlight," "Crash," "Slumdog Millionaire," "Inception," and "Marriage Story." And maybe "Hacksaw Ridge" and "Gladiator" for the non-bloody averse.

Haha. You have two overrated movies on your list, IMHO. I agree that Pesci was magnificent in the "Irishman." But, other than that, can't see what the big fuss was about.

"Brokeback Mountain" should've trounced "Crash" at the Oscars, though ...

[oldpotatoe]

I don't see how you can have a 'best movies' list without Galaxy Quest and 5th Element in there.

5th Element for sure. Gladiator, absolutely.
Master and Commander as well.
The Highwaymen
Hell or High Water

BUT how do you pick 20 movies as 'best' made in the last 20 years???

[Elefantino]

Haha. You have two overrated movies on your list, IMHO. I agree that Pesci was magnificent in the "Irishman." But, other than that, can't see what the big fuss was about.

"Brokeback Mountain" should've trounced "Crash" at the Oscars, though ...
OK, so you didn't like "Crash." :eek:

What other movie was overrated?

[eddief]

Little Miss Sunshine? :)

As for the Irishman I just do not get the hype. Slow as molasses, longer than heck. I lasted about an hour and thought I ought go home and watch the paint dry.

I guess those 2 movies would not fit the same taste buds.

[Blue Jays]

No cycling movies listed? On a cycling-specific forum?

[Black Dog]

Haha. You have two overrated movies on your list, IMHO. I agree that Pesci was magnificent in the "Irishman." But, other than that, can't see what the big fuss was about.

"Brokeback Mountain" should've trounced "Crash" at the Oscars, though ...

Brokeback Mountain was made 15 years too early to earn the awards that it deserved however, if it was released this year it would have been 15 years too late. Great film.

[choke]

2) Inglorious Basterds Wow....and in #2 no less. I know that I'm in the minority but I think that this was the stupidest movie I have seen in my life.

[XXtwindad]

OK, so you didn't like "Crash." :eek:

What other movie was overrated?

Oops. My bad. "Lost in Translation." I meant we concur on "The Irishman." That was one of the overrated movies. Interesting how three random members here really disliked it. Makes you wonder if the critics were blinded by the "halo" effect of Pesci (who was admittedly great), De Niro, Pacino, and Scorcese.

[Mzilliox]

Lost in Translation was awesome, so was I Heart Huckabees, and Ill give nods to my boy. Royal Tenebaums and Life Aquatic. I love exestential philisophy movies.

marriage story was not that great. :fight: what a downer

[eddief]

I go see the movie and wonder what's up with the critics? How could they possibly rate a movie so high. As in the new Little Women. Super high ratings across the board with the exception of Rex Reed...who I agree with totally. Just a movie and nothing to get hung about.

https://observer.com/2019/12/little-women-review-greta-gerwig-saoirse-ronan-rex-reed/

[dancinkozmo]

'Air Bud 2 ' was awesome :banana::banana::banana:

[Elefantino]

Wow....and in #2 no less. I know that I'm in the minority but I think that this was the stupidest movie I have seen in my life.
Me, too, and our son the cinematographer has told me that I'm an idiot.

[prototoast]

Wow....and in #2 no less. I know that I'm in the minority but I think that this was the stupidest movie I have seen in my life.

Inglourious Basterds is one of my favorite movies, and I think the fact it's not for everyone is part of what makes it great for some. Because of commercial motivation, so many prominent movies that come out today are designed to have as broad an appeal as possible, but at the expense of creating a really a really extraordinary experience for a smaller group of people.

[buddybikes]

Little Women was filmed at lot in our former town, Lancaster MA. Will we see it, probably when it hit the small tube.

[XXtwindad]

Lost in Translation was awesome, so was I Heart Huckabees, and Ill give nods to my boy. Royal Tenebaums and Life Aquatic. I love exestential philisophy movies.

marriage story was not that great. :fight: what a downer

I rented "I Heart Huckabees" after so many people here (yourself included) referenced it on the movie quote thread. I didn't get what the big deal was about.

"The Royal Tenenbaums," on the other hand. Wow. How did I forget that. I'll kick every movie off my list except for "The Reader" for that one. One of the very first "date" movies I saw with my partner. Just had my twin daughters doing push-ups in matching sweats in honor of Chas Tenenbaum.

[XXtwindad]

Inglourious Basterds is one of my favorite movies, and I think the fact it's not for everyone is part of what makes it great for some. Because of commercial motivation, so many prominent movies that come out today are designed to have as broad an appeal as possible, but at the expense of creating a really a really extraordinary experience for a smaller group of people.

I think you're probably right about that. I wonder if "Harold and Maude" could get made today …

[pinkshogun]

My personal faves are:

Willie Wonka w/Gene Wilder
House of Games-David Mamet
Fandango-early Kevin Costner

[avalonracing]

The movie reviewer for the Chronicle. I typically really like his take on things.

He has the following movies listed in the top five:

1) 25th Hour
2) Inglorious Basterds
3) The New World
4) Vox Lux
5) Boyhood



Vox Lux started well and then turned into a boring mess of a film. I wouldn't put in in the top 500.

[axel23]

her
+1

[Drmojo]

The Lady from Shanghai
Blade Runner
Groundhog Day
nuff said
PS I have loathed Mick Lasalle for decades now:
he is no Pauline Kael....

[AngryScientist]

Inglourious Basterds is one of my favorite movies, and I think the fact it's not for everyone is part of what makes it great for some. Because of commercial motivation, so many prominent movies that come out today are designed to have as broad an appeal as possible, but at the expense of creating a really a really extraordinary experience for a smaller group of people.

agreed.

im a tarrantino fan, all the way around.

i think hateful eight and django were also excellent movies.

the irishman was, IMO, an abomination.

[nmrt]

i am sure you know but Rotten is not saying that critics gave the movie 90%. It is saying that 90% of critics liked the movie. Rotten does not say how much 90% of the critics liked the movie. ;)

I go see the movie and wonder what's up with the critics? How could they possibly rate a movie so high. As in the new Little Women. Super high ratings across the board with the exception of Rex Reed...who I agree with totally. Just a movie and nothing to get hung about.

https://observer.com/2019/12/little-women-review-greta-gerwig-saoirse-ronan-rex-reed/

[slowpoke]

Mick LaSalle’s top 20 of the past 20 years is weak. The Irishman and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood are two overrated and out-of-touch movies. Both needed more editing. The former is for seniors at the twilight of their lives and the latter is for middle-aged men who dream of an era when violence solved everything.

LaSalle seems to have an affinity for Scorsese. I would’ve swapped out The Irishman for The Departed, which was far more intriguing (yes, I know it’s a remake of Infernal Affairs).

And while I haven’t seen Blue is the Warmest Color, my lesbian friends have shat on the movie it's straight males idealizing lesbian sex, i.e. girl-on-girl fantasies.

Glaring omissions..

- Wes Andersen (mentioned by other commenters)
- Nolan (Memento, The Dark Knight)
- Villeneuve (Sicario, The Arrival, Blade Runner 2049)

Also, there are no films from Asia, when Korean films have offered some fresh air in the past decade. Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite should be on there.

All in all, Mick LaSalle is no Ebert, and doesn't seem to be a better barometer than my Lyft driver who told me they loved Thor Ragnorak (which I also dug).

[weisan]

I am a movie junkie, I watched a lot of movies, both the "good" and the "bad", I am non-selective.

The thing I don't like about picking top movies is....

There are all kinds of movies, classified under different genres, in different languages, from countries all over the world. Nobody, even if they try, could have covered all the grounds or seen everything that is out there. Thus, the title highlighted (US only).

They are many high-quality, "award-winning" foreign films that are not popular in the US or flew under the radar.

That's point #1.

Point #2...

I noticed the way people pick movies is almost like an ego trip proving their intelligence or level of sophistication. If you pick a movie that is too vanilla, you might be mistaken to be simple-minded, or uneducated, even though you really enjoyed that movie, it resonated deeply within you, it touched you at an emotional or personal level and to the point that you keep playing it back in your head....despite the fact that this movie will never make it to somebody's top list or win an academy.

So what now?

Are we really gonna be honest and talk about movies that make "our list" or just the ones that we think will get public approval or make us look good?

I will lead by example....

For starters, I like:

As good as it gets
Family man
Hero (Chinese)
Kill Bill (both vol 1&2)
House of flying daggers (Chinese)
King Arthur
Highlander (first one)
Fifty shades trilogy
Saving private ryan

Just to name a few...

[slowpoke]

Are we really gonna be honest and talk about movies that make "our list" or just the ones that we think will get public approval or make us look good?

The role of a critic here when making a list is similar to that of a curator. Their job is to open up some eyes and hopefully show us some good things we've missed. I don't think LaSalle did that too well here.

[Matthew]

I'm with you weisan with Saving Private Ryan. I also love Braveheart and The Patriot. And 12 Years a Slave was great as well.

[DRZRM]

Are we counting a thousand years back from 2019 to define the millennium? Why are we talking about Groundhog Day, Bladerunner, and Willie Wanka (awesome movies all, I admit)? And what are you trying to tell us if two of your favorite Top Twenty of the Millennium are Mel Gibson movies from last century? Why not throw Rosemary's Baby and Annie Hall in there?

[FlashUNC]

Art is ultimately subjective but that is a terrible and bad list. Mick should feel bad. Both lists are a mess.

[Matthew]

Umm, not trying to tell you anything. Just happen to like those two movies. Sorry I picked from the wrong century.

[oldpotatoe]

Are we counting a thousand years back from 2019 to define the millennium? Why are we talking about Groundhog Day, Bladerunner, and Willie Wanka (awesome movies all, I admit)? And what are you trying to tell us if two of your favorite Top Twenty of the Millennium are Mel Gibson movies from last century? Why not throw Rosemary's Baby and Annie Hall in there?

Agree, like a lot of threads like this and ‘best’ lists of anything in general, it gets OT real fast. It was about the last 20 years....not ‘last century’ movies. AND it’s about movies, not world peace or climate change. ‘Entertainment’...and since we are generally ‘mericans, not Chinese, and sub titles or miss-matched dialog to mouths, that wears me out. NOT being xenophobic, just want to be entertained, not ‘educated’...

Did like Knives Out...just saw it:)

[Hawker]

I'm with you weisan with Saving Private Ryan. I also love Braveheart and The Patriot. And 12 Years a Slave was great as well.

Movies I can't flip past without stopping to watch.

Also, Shawshank Redemption...what a great movie!

[eddief]

but i think those 90%ers are still way way out there compared to the movies i have walked out of lately = Irishman, Little Women, Blade Runner 2049, etc.


i am sure you know but Rotten is not saying that critics gave the movie 90%. It is saying that 90% of critics liked the movie. Rotten does not say how much 90% of the critics liked the movie. ;)

[XXtwindad]

It's bizarre how many random members here hated the "Irishman." Makes you wonder what all the critics were raving about …

[Mzilliox]

It's bizarre how many random members here hated the "Irishman." Makes you wonder what all the critics were raving about …

i constantly wonder at the crap critics rave about. the last 3 years of film have been particularly sucky, and every year im fed some crap about whichever the flavor of the day is, then nobody ever talks about that movie ever again, because it wasnt good.

lot of that

[charliedid]

It's bizarre how many random members here hated the "Irishman." Makes you wonder what all the critics were raving about …

I rather enjoyed it.

[Patb095]

Movies I can't flip past without stopping to watch.



Also, Shawshank Redemption...what a great movie!



+1

And ... Goodfellas


Envoyé de mon iPhone en utilisant Tapatalk

[Patb095]

I rather enjoyed it.



Irishman it last more than 3 hours but I would have taken another 3 ...so good ...Deniro and Pesci they were so good.


Envoyé de mon iPhone en utilisant Tapatalk

[Hawker]

I'll run for cover after this post. My wife and I both loved "A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood", the Mr. Rogers movie. And we seldom even "like" the same movie let alone "love" the same movie. Tom Hanks nails it.

[oliver1850]

i constantly wonder at the crap critics rave about. the last 3 years of film have been particularly sucky, and every year im fed some crap about whichever the flavor of the day is, then nobody ever talks about that movie ever again, because it wasnt good.

lot of that

Interesting comment relating to critics in general. I've read a lot more reviews of music than film. I think I've been exposed to a lot of great music that I may not have heard without reading the reviews. I think that's true of film as well, but I'm more likely to be reading about films from 80-100 years ago than 8-10.

[goonster]

i constantly wonder at the crap critics rave about.

The job of the critic is primarily to promote good work and tell us why it's good.

They see a lot more movies than we do, generally have extensive formal education in the subject, are immersed in that world, and their output should be viewed in that context.

If you can't find critics whose taste overlaps with yours, stop reading them.

I fundamentally don't understand why The Irishman got made. It cost $160MM. It is ridiculous to ask us believe De Niro and Pacino playing people in their thirties. It adds nothing new to the genre, except maybe old-age ennui.

Raging Bull is a masterpiece for the ages. Mean Streets and After Hours are both very good. I enjoyed Goodfellas and Casino at the time, but they've soured on me a bit over the years.

[Ozz]

I am a movie junkie, I watched a lot of movies, both the "good" and the "bad", I am non-selective.

The thing I don't like about picking top movies is....

There are all kinds of movies, classified under different genres, in different languages, from countries all over the world. Nobody, even if they try, could have covered all the grounds or seen everything that is out there. Thus, the title highlighted (US only).

They are many high-quality, "award-winning" foreign films that are not popular in the US or flew under the radar.

That's point #1.

Point #2...

I noticed the way people pick movies is almost like an ego trip proving their intelligence or level of sophistication. If you pick a movie that is too vanilla, you might be mistaken to be simple-minded, or uneducated, even though you really enjoyed that movie, it resonated deeply within you, it touched you at an emotional or personal level and to the point that you keep playing it back in your head....despite the fact that this movie will never make it to somebody's top list or win an academy.

So what now?

Are we really gonna be honest and talk about movies that make "our list" or just the ones that we think will get public approval or make us look good?

I will lead by example....

For starters, I like:

As good as it gets
Family man
Hero (Chinese)
Kill Bill (both vol 1&2)
House of flying daggers (Chinese)
King Arthur
Highlander (first one)
Fifty shades trilogy
Saving private ryan

Just to name a few...
Good call on "Hero"....one of my favorites.

Great story, stunning visuals, enough martial arts action to keep kids interested.....Cheers.