| DGT ranks THE 10 BEST FILMS OF THE PAST DECADE!; DONE! #1 on p. 28, full list in 1st post | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Nov 8 2010, 07:02 PM (7,947 Views) | |
| <span style=Rudy | Nov 10 2010, 02:40 PM Post #141 |
Sorry for being so awesome
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I have not. Is that the Forrest Gump like movie? |
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| <span style=Pulau Tiga | Nov 10 2010, 02:42 PM Post #142 |
cacafuego
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His original article: Video games can never be art Which sparked outrage and totally destroyed his credibility, forcing him to write this article: Okay, kids, play on my lawn Which doesn't really relieve him of any of his ignorance or idiocy, I don't think, but seemed to appease people enough to keep them reading his bullshit. |
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| Thailandsurvivor | Nov 10 2010, 02:43 PM Post #143 |
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No,  , that's Benjamin Button, which I've heard was awful. http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1897317Scott Pilgrim is like a nerdy video game action/comedy. Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgOLmjhxVVU |
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| Thailandsurvivor | Nov 10 2010, 02:44 PM Post #144 |
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Unregistered
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Thanks, I'll read it when I come back. |
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| <span style=Pulau Tiga | Nov 10 2010, 02:47 PM Post #145 |
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cacafuego
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Despite the rave reviews, I still haven't seen Scott Pilgrim because I'm wholly sick of comic book movies. 
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| <span style=recyclehumans | Nov 10 2010, 02:58 PM Post #146 |
BOOM! CROASTED.
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SHAWSHANK didn't win a single Oscar. |
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| <span style=Kyle | Nov 10 2010, 03:07 PM Post #147 |
ORG Legend
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 oh madhack, I'm pretty sure Mikester knows what an emotional reaction is...
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| <span style=spnintendo | Nov 10 2010, 03:18 PM Post #148 |
Purple Domination
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I fully approve of this top 3 
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| <span style=Destinys Champion | Nov 10 2010, 03:51 PM Post #149 |
Hibernating
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Scott Pilgrim was so awesome. sp and I saw it together.
That article is so ignorant.  The last essay I had ever written in high school was actually about how video games were a new art form. I got perfect on it.
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PaShun [The Nightclub] ~ 1st Alpha [Codename: Marathon] ~ 1st CPR Test Dummy [Colosseum 7] ~ 2nd Talim [Omni 2: The Soul Arena] ~ 5th Joe Jonas [SYBBM] ~ 9th B.B. Hood [Superheroes] ~ 9th Stephenie [CR's Faves] ~ 11th Storm [Omni: Genosha] ~ 12th (Quit) Wakka [Final Fantasy] ~ 14th Tanya, Champion of Mortal Kombat '& Goddess of All Realms [TF:LL] ~ 1st Dewgong [Pokémon Mini II] ~ 1st Wobbuffet [Pokémon Mini] ~ 5th Kimberly [Mini Shit I Like] ~ 6th Jerri [EDP: HvV 2] ~ 10th | |
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| <span style=madhackrviper | Nov 10 2010, 04:31 PM Post #150 |
"The FKACMF"
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Incredibles was my favorite Pixar movie until Up hit. 
I'm glad that even non gamers get how fucked up that was.
I actually haven't caught Scott Pilgrim yet either but as I understand it its not exactly a comic book movie in the same vein as what you're tired of.
Did you read anything that came before I posted that?
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| <span style=ts2 | Nov 10 2010, 04:36 PM Post #151 |
Mother Hen
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I totally forgot Inception. I would put that on the top 10 and take A Beautiful Mind off I suppose. |
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| <span style=Mister Plum | Nov 10 2010, 04:56 PM Post #152 |
SurviBoy
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Clash of the Titans > The Hurt Locker
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| <span style=Martrae | Nov 10 2010, 04:59 PM Post #153 |
The Sandra Bullock of ORGs
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The original Clash of the Titans was better than the remake...and the original was bad enough to make a cat laugh. |
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| <span style=Pulau Tiga | Nov 10 2010, 04:59 PM Post #154 |
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cacafuego
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Stop being an idiot. |
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| <span style=spnintendo | Nov 10 2010, 04:59 PM Post #155 |
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Purple Domination
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No u. Plummy 
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| <span style=Mister Plum | Nov 10 2010, 05:01 PM Post #156 |
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SurviBoy
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I'm not being an idiot. I don't have to like what you like and what should be like because it's Best Picture? I hate it. I enjoyed Clash of the Titans more and it's pretty clear for me that I like COTT more tha THL, seriously. |
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| <span style=Pulau Tiga | Nov 10 2010, 05:05 PM Post #157 |
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cacafuego
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But Clash of the Titans was sooooo bad! You can hate The Hurt Locker all you want, there are legitimate criticisms against it, but...but... Clash of the fucking Titans? 
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| <span style=Mister Plum | Nov 10 2010, 05:09 PM Post #158 |
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SurviBoy
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I'm not saying Clash of the Titans is OMGSPECTACULAR though. I just enjoyed it compared to Hurt Locker. I expected so much from the film, I liked some scenes, I even like the first part because it's so intriguing but then it became so bland and I kept on waiting for something to happen but it just made me... <_< . I had to watch it with a lot of attempts before I finish it. That's just me.
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| <span style=Destinys Champion | Nov 10 2010, 05:12 PM Post #159 |
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Hibernating
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It's okay, Plummy. The same night I watched The Hurt Locker, I watched Ninja Assassin (a supposed terrible mindless movie) right after, and I enjoyed that much more and was awake the whole time. |
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PaShun [The Nightclub] ~ 1st Alpha [Codename: Marathon] ~ 1st CPR Test Dummy [Colosseum 7] ~ 2nd Talim [Omni 2: The Soul Arena] ~ 5th Joe Jonas [SYBBM] ~ 9th B.B. Hood [Superheroes] ~ 9th Stephenie [CR's Faves] ~ 11th Storm [Omni: Genosha] ~ 12th (Quit) Wakka [Final Fantasy] ~ 14th Tanya, Champion of Mortal Kombat '& Goddess of All Realms [TF:LL] ~ 1st Dewgong [Pokémon Mini II] ~ 1st Wobbuffet [Pokémon Mini] ~ 5th Kimberly [Mini Shit I Like] ~ 6th Jerri [EDP: HvV 2] ~ 10th | |
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| <span style=recyclehumans | Nov 10 2010, 05:51 PM Post #160 |
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BOOM! CROASTED.
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Time for the ninth entry! And I am fully prepared for this one to get approximately zero support. #9. THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST  2004 Directed by Mel Gibson Screenplay by Benedict Fitzgerald and Mel Gibson Starring Jim Caviezel, Maia Morgenstern, Hristo Jivkov and Monica Bellucci I'm going to start by saying this -- I'm not going to go near the historical inaccuracies. I would love to, but they're not relevant. I'm also not going to say a word about Mel Gibson's real life or even imply something. I'm looking at this film as its own world. I'm also going to say this -- I will speak of the film's "real life" events because I personally could not watch this film for one second without considering what all of this may have really been like. I will talk about them as if they are truth. Deal. THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST is a searing, brutal -- perhaps not brutal enough -- portrait of Jesus's final hours before his crucifixion, with intermittent cross-cutting to flashbacks of selected moments of his life, including the last supper with his disciples, a confrontation with Caiphas, the Jewish high priest, and moments with his mother Mary. Skillfully presented through both the technical production and the powerful performances, THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST has already etched itself into history as one of the most impressively crafted (if not most controversial) Biblical epics of our time. Note that I said "not brutal enough". Yes, people went maniacal over the violence in this film. Some called it over-the-top, others said it was extremely unnecessary. To those people, I can only extend a confused look and a statement of "What the hell is wrong with you?" If anything, this film and its gore-laden violence TAKES IT EASY on Jesus as he is ravaged, as no doubt his actual scourging, flogging, torture and crucifixion was infinitely more unimaginable and horrific. However, to show THAT level of hell is unacceptable to most people, including the MPAA (which rates this film an R, which astounds me, and shows once again that their standards and practices for film surveying are back asswards and their moronic institution should be removed from the industry), so Gibson's vision, while quite graphic, isn't exactly too much to endure. I will even go so far as to say I have seen violence in movies that is MUCH more graphic and grisly, so it's obvious that those who complain about the levels of brutality in this film are either uninformed/uneducated about what else filmmaking has offered audiences in the past... ...Or, what I believe is most likely true, they feel the way they do because the victim of the violence is such an iconic figure. To see any old Joe Parker flayed ceaselessly, his flesh being torn from his body with a cat-of-nine-tails spiked with metal hooks on the tips of the tendrils, would be ghastly, but the violence would not hit home for almost everyone in the audience. But because this is Jesus -- someone worshipped and beloved to a passionate degree -- even a mere spit in his face could be considered too violent for some. Sadly, for those people, THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST is an unendurable film after only the first ten minutes, as Jesus's betrayal by Judas for a mere thirty pieces of silver leads to Jesus's arrest in the garden of Gethsemane, where the Roman soldiers spit hatefully in Jesus's face. Those who cannot bear to stand watching Jesus being battered had better leave there, or else you're in for a ride you cannot fathom (or even endure, as one woman became notorious for dying of a heart attack while watching the film -- namely, the crucifixion sequence). There were times during the film where I said to myself, "Okay... this is too much." The violence was becoming too much. And with every moment I thought that, Gibson gave me two more moments worse than before. It very quickly dawns on the viewer that -- no, it's not too much. It will never be too much. It will always be not enough. Put yourself into the world of this film. What it's supposed to mean and represent. We will never have the ability to truly comprehend what Jesus gave humanity through his suffering, and we simply will never have the ability to truly comprehend the extent of that suffering. As effective as this film is in giving us an insight into that suffering, that's all we can get -- a meager example of it. To realize that as bad as the film's gore may be, that in real life it was certainly many times worse, is almost sickeningly and singularly capable of moving someone -- namely, me. The violence is completely necessary for this film, or else the entire point of Jesus's sacrifice is lost. Yes, he died for our sins. Good for him. Yes, his work and sermons were for the salvation of mankind. Good for him. But that's all that's really given in detail about his passion. By generalizing his torment and death with bland, passive sentences saying "oh, he died on the cross for us all" make his work almost sound TRIVIAL. I don't even have to believe in Jesus and God and faith and religion to say the following: It's not. Jesus and his life was by no means trivial. His passion, death and resurrection are all profound and integral to our way of life, and have been since the moments he endured it all. And if we want to fully understand just how much Jesus loved us and the lengths he was willing to endure to save us from our sins, then we have to see just what he suffered in this last period of his life. With every lash of a whip across his chest, with every hammering of a nail into his body, with every spear that his thrust into his side, souls are saved. We owe our lives to him and his blood. To complain that by showing even only a PORTION of this suffering is too much is to refuse to acknowledge the incredible power and generosity that Jesus had. To my (somewhat) agnostic ears, it's almost as if when hearing a person complain about the violence, I hear a person who doesn't seem to be very thankful for Jesus's sacrifice. The film begins almost like a horror film in some respects, as we open in the garden of Gethsemane as Jesus, with his disciples nearby, prays to his father. We cut to Judas accepting the priests' money in exchange for Jesus's location. We then cut back to Jesus, crying while in prayer, only to reveal Satan standing behind him, mocking him: no man can do what you are trying to do. Not now, not ever. Just by watching these first ten minutes, we can see already this film is not going to waste time in character development -- it doesn't need to. We know who these characters are. It's here, in the opening, that one of my two favorite scenes in the film plays out. Satan works to break down Jesus and make him give up his efforts. It's a terribly haunting, effective piece of filmmaking. Caleb Deschanel, a man who has always proven himself to be a master cinematographer, paints every frame of this film, especially this scene, gorgeously and brilliantly, using shafts of light and color in ways I haven't really seen before. John Debney's score is quietly creepy and morose as Jesus struggles to stand against Satan. Jim Caviezel is a Jesus at his breaking point, fighting to maintain the next moment's strength and courage. And Rosalinda Celentano as Satan. ...Rosalinda Celentano as Satan. I have never seen such a perfect and FRIGHTENING vision of Satan as in this film. No horns, no red skin, no fire... no cliches. Satan here is a pale, ashen-white figure, beautiful but in an unsettling, otherworldly capacity. There are masculine elements to Satan, and feminine (obviously, as Satan is played by a woman here). She is adorned only in a black cloak of thick fabric. Her voice is distorted and disjointed, almost out of phase of reality. Words cannot describe my reaction to this scene between Satan and Jesus, other than it's simply... right. Jesus is arrested and brought before the high priests, a mob of people around them being very mob-like. They condemn him, and as he is being abused, Peter, recognized by a person in the crowd, denies Jesus. When we see Peter's struggle to not break down as he denies Jesus and cross-cut with Jesus's telling statement to him that he will deny Jesus three times… the moment work wonders. Meanwhile, the conflicted Judas is now paying for his betrayal -- he is starting to see terrible visions of demons, taunting him and following him. He begs for Caiphas to rescind his damnation of Jesus, but Caiphas refuses, telling Judas to take his betrayal and silver pieces and go. Judas cannot live with this, and as he wanders the wilderness in the morning, demon children follow him, Satan lingering in the back of them, until Judas hangs himself over the corpse of a maggot-infested ram. This is not for the eyes of children, people. Jesus is taken to Pontius Pilate, who refuses to condemn him, finding no fault or cause for penalty against Jesus. Caiphas refuses to accept this, taking Jesus to a rather flamboyant King Herod, who also regards Jesus as little more than a man a bit off his rocker. Jesus is returned to Pilate, who, after intense public pressure from both the mob and the priests, an offer: he will set one person free. Either Barabbas, a vicious convicted murderer, or Jesus, a man claiming to be the Messiah. Pilate is quietly aghast when Caiphas, without hesitation, cries out for Barabbas to be set free. Pilate does so, and it's here that we REALLY begin to understand just how terrible this whole mess is, when a murderer is instantly promoted for release by a Jewish high priest over Jesus. It's also clear here that with any story told, some kind of villain must be present -- and to this film, that villain is Caiphas. But I have to stress that this film (now that I'm using the word "Jewish") is not anti-Semitic. Yes, several high priests are vociferous in their desire to see Jesus crucified, but very early on we see other priests of the council making it known that their colleagues' attempts to put Jesus to death are ludicrous and ridiculously insane. We see Romans beating Jesus senselessly with venom and glee -- as I'm sure they did for other poor souls put upon the block for their sadistic delights. To say that this film promotes or will stir up the idea that Jews were collectively responsible for Jesus's demise is a total crock, as I will say for any opinion that blasts this film as targeting anyone for his death. EVERYONE is responsible for his death. You, me, and everyone who lived before us. That's the whole fucking point. Pilate refuses to condemn Jesus to death, and instead sends him off to be "punished severely, but not killed". He hopes that a lashing of Jesus will quench Caiphas's thirst. It's here that Jesus (and we, as an audience) endure an eleven minute sequence of his caning and flogging. Brace yourself. Thankfully, Gibson cuts away somewhat often from Jesus's suffering to reactions of the Romans, Mary Magdalene (played with emotional depth by Monica Bellucci, who takes an almost-silent character and runs with it) and Mary. There is actually not that much blood and gore in this sequence, but the IDEA of what he's going through fills in many of the visual gaps the film presents. The times we do cut to the whips slicing his skin open and the canes bruising his back, the images make us wince and recoil. It's amazing to look at, in a very terrible way. There is some astounding makeup and special effects work taking place here. Moments such as when the whip's metal hooks dig deep and stick into Jesus's side and must be yanked out with great force really, really hurt to watch. And then it gets oh so much better -- as Jesus collapses, limp and motionless from this beating, the Romans turn him onto his back and begin to tear apart the front of his body. It's shocking to think not that this is all so graphic, but that someone could actually survive this -- and often did. The guards stash Jesus into a nearby barn, where they continue torturing him and put his crown of thorns on while saying "here is your worth, your majesty". Mary and Magdalene stoically start to clean up the sweeping pools of Jesus's blood left around the flogging block. Jesus, barely able to stand, is presented by Pilate again in front of the priests and the mob. Pilate is again distressed to see that they will only be satisfied with Jesus crucified. And that's what they're going to get -- Pilate washes himself of the matter, telling the priests "if you want to kill him, go ahead -- I will have no part in it". And so it begins -- Jesus is forced to carry the cross upon his back to the rock of Golgotha. Mary, Magdalene and John follow Jesus's every painful, crippling step. And it's here that we come to the second of my two favorite moments of the film -- the one that, incidentally, made me cry. As Mary watches her son collapse under the weight of the cross, falling to the ground and being taunted by the Roman guards, we see her having a flashback to Jesus as a small boy, tripping and falling to the ground. Mary sees her young boy falling, and runs immediately to his aid, helping him up and giving him care only a mother can provide. We cut between this and her running to a bloodied and battered Jesus as she tearfully helps him rise up and continue, forcing back the strikes of the Roman guards with only her hands. It's done so effectively that... I honestly have no real words to describe it. It's just that good. It's just that good mainly because of Maia Morgenstern's astonishing portrayal of Mary, mother of Jesus. Throughout the entire film, she is just... wow. Honestly. Wow. I can't put words together for it. It's simply an instinctual, gut reaction of total astonishment. If there was ever one person who was cruelly robbed of an Academy Award nomination over the past 10 years, it is without a doubt Maia Morgenstern. When approaching the outskirts of the city, Jesus collapses again, unable to continue alone. The Romans draft a nearby Simon to help Jesus bear the weight of the cross the rest of the way. He reluctantly does so, making it known that he is just an innocent man lightening the load for a condemned one. They ascend the final hill, slowly and agonizingly. As Mary, John and Magdalene watch in tears and sadness, Jesus is eventually rolled onto the cross. One hand is nailed into the cross, while his other arm must be forcibly dislocated in order for his other hand to reach all the way for the second nail. His feet are then positioned upon a brace of wood and those are nailed to the wood. The Romans loop rope around the cross and lift it into position. Ouch. And there Jesus is. Crucified. Soon it becomes too much for a body to endure. Jesus lifts his head to face the sky, asking "Why have you forsaken me? ... It is accomplished. Father, unto your hands... I commend... my spirit." His eyes close, his head drops. And he is dead. An earthquake rumbles through the region at that moment, with it a dark pall of clouds. The quake shatters the building where the high priests have gathered, splitting in two the Holy of Holies. Caiphas's reaction to this is one of unquestioned "oooohhhhh shit...". Jesus's body is later brought down from the cross, and cradled in the arms of Mary, Magdalene and John. Fade to black. No, it's not over. We fade in to a tomb as the circular stone block slowly rolls from the entrance to the tomb. We see the shadow of the block arcing across the tomb walls... then onto the slab where Jesus's body is. Or at least... where it should be. All that sits upon it is an empty white shroud. The camera adjusts slightly, and there is Jesus. Alive. Resurrected. His wounds are gone, and he is sitting upright, watching the stone block roll away. He stands, naked and returned to the world, and walks out of frame, to exit the tomb. And as we fade to black, with John Debney's perfect score rising to a superb choral majesty, we realize the significance that this simple, peaceful moment really has: with those steps, the world has changed. Forever. Jesus's resurrection takes place in literally less than one minute. In fact, we only see Jesus for about 25 seconds of that less-than-one-minute. And even more notable -- it's done in a single, simple shot devoid of visual effects of moviemaking trickery. It's so plain and clean in its execution that I was... moved. To be honest, I think I can use the same description for the rest of the film. So simple and perfect in execution. It honestly is a movie that one might find to be a chore to sit through. But it's certainly a worthwhile one. At least, from my perspective. I cannot speak for those with religious inclinations. However, as a statement to humanity, as a story, and as a piece of filmmaking, THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST is an unmistakable piece of impeccable quality. It is a powerful, epic motion picture. It is written with economical grace by Gibson and Benedict Fitzgerald, scored by John Debney, who provides an unforgettable score, shot by Caleb Deschanel, an artisan of film... there is just so much about this film that simply works. Though I do not devote myself to the faith driving Gibson and his fellow filmmakers to make this film, I, much like Roger Ebert, who I will quote right now, "must respect it". It's a staggering story with details so graphic and unwanted one questions the necessity of the violence's degree. By understanding that the degree of violence is in itself the necessity, the viewer can being to truly see just how much of a film about love and compassion this really is. So why THIS movie? Of the ten films that appear on this top ten ranking, this is the one that I can least effectively contextualize. There are certain movies that just hit us in ways we can't really describe in words. In most ways, that's the overall feeling I have about THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST. It got me. It just did. And I love it for it. What I can say is that I appreciate, like anyone else, a strong good vs. evil story. And what good vs. evil story could possibly be bigger than God and Satan? Heaven and Hell? Life and Death? This film, more than any other, made me feel the ultimate battle of good vs. evil in the world far, far, far more viscerally than any other story. The torture, the agony, the pain, the struggle… all of the fight Jesus must endure, knowing what his victory against Satan will serve for the world for all time. And yet, even for the son of God, saying is one thing, doing is another. And Jesus is still human. He still has limits. And he absolutely sure as hell is terrified he does not have the strength to endure what he knows he must endure. The presentation of an inevitability to a person can be enormously traumatizing… now just imagine that the inevitability before you is that you get to essentially bail out humanity for the rest of the world's existence, but only after putting yourself through the kind of suffrage that no human being can ever fully conceive. No human being can face that level of struggle without wanting to scream "fuck this" and run. To watch the ultimate representation of that kind of conflict be presented with such raw simplicity… it overwhelmed me. In the best possible way. SCORE SAMPLE: "Mary Goes to Jesus" SCORE SAMPLE: "Raising the Cross" |
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