7. “Far From Heaven”
A visually sumptuous banquet, Todd Haynes‘ ode to the Sirkian melodrama of the ’50s is also an entirely modern meditation on the clash between surface and true identity (explored, of course, via sexuality and race). Julianne Moore stars as a traditional housewife who discovers her husband (Dennis Quaid) is gay while she contemplates a verboten romance of her own — with her family’s black gardener (Dennis Haysbert). If the perfect cast (which also includes future Oscar nominees Viola Davis and Patricia Clarkson) and Edward Lachman‘s shimmering cinematography aren’t enough to get your vintage knickers in a twist — the latter’s radiant use of Fassbinder-like color and shadow should have taken the Oscar — “Far From Heaven” also boasts an evocative score from Elmer Bernstein. “Mad Men” might have made mid-century nostalgia popular in the latter aughts, but Haynes’ film did it first.
6. “Morvern Callar”
On the surface, there’s not much plot to Lynne Ramsay’s tone poem, which finds the title character, the luminous Samantha Morton, co-opting her dead boyfriend’s manuscript as her own. Awash in a sea of emotions, Morton’s performance exposes what the screenplay refuses to imagine in dialogue, allowing for the film, a travelogue of her literary-fueled escapades into big city nightlife, to become an autopsy of a lonely soul. Carried by an eclectic underground soundtrack (wonderfully dreamy and droning choices by Broadcast, Aphex Twin, and more), “Morvern Callar” takes us to more places within the eyes of Morton than the roving camera of a Michael Bay film ever could.
5. “Y Tu Mamá También”
“Y Tu Mama Tambien” could have been unbearable. By following two snotty, privileged, oversexed teenagers on a road trip with an older woman, it risks being something like an episode of “Gossip Girl.” But director Alfonso Cuarón keeps it closer to a modern day “Jules et Jim,” shooting the whole movie in a vibrant, handheld manner, and making it feel like the best summer holiday you never had. Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna have never matched their performances here (although the MVP is Maribel Verdu as Luisa, whose melancholy take on the older woman grounds the film perfectly), and Cuaron’s direction is note-perfect. Plus, it’s that absolute rarity, a film that’s free to be honest and explicit about sex, while still remaining genuinely sexy — no L-shaped bedsheets or roaring fireplaces needed here.
4. “Solaris”
Did you remember her differently? This is the question astronaut and psychologist Chris Kelvin (George Clooney) must address as he stands at the precipice of his own sanity, facing the specter of his lost love (a gorgeously photographed Natascha McElhone), and wondering if the mass he orbits is bringing his memories to life, only for Kelvin to learn they are incomplete. Steven Soderbergh’s brisk remake of Andrei Tarkovsky’s haunting Stanislav Lem adaptation eschews hard science in favor of a hot-blooded story of the evidence left behind by our own romantic histories. The film is sparse, tense and curt, miles away from the lugubrious original, but in its haunting immediacy (much helped by Cliff Martinez‘s ghostly electronic-like score) and chilly ending, one could argue it’s even an improvement.
I have to disagree with the notion that Adaptation fell apart at the end. How it turned into a suspense film was completely natural considering Kaufman\’s struggle with the process of making the story interesting. He was adapting to his circumstances in the best way possible.
Punch drunk love should definitely be on this list.
Poor taste to not like Adaptation because of its 3rd act.
My favourites – 1. City of God
2. Rabbit Proof Fence
3. Punch-Drunk Love
4. Adaptation
5. Bowling For Columbine
6. Secretary
7. The Tracker
8. 28 Days Later
9. Rules of Attraction
10. The Pianist
the oscars owe Dennis Quaid nominations 1-wyatt earp 2-savior 3-far from heaven 4-at any price
Another good list, though I actually really enjoy the last act of Adaptation; it ties in well thematically and has an unexpected emotional impact.
Sidenote: Is there any way we could add a note after each film about whether it\’s available on Netflix streaming?
The Hours
Catch me if you can!
come on now. Punch drunk love should be in there somehow…tsk tsk
So happy to see Talk To Her in pole position here. My favourite film of this century so far, though if Before Sunset tops your poll in two days time, that\’s its closest contender for me. Both sublime.
I love these lists. I have to agree with the number 1 and 2 choices. Absolutely amazing films that I need to explore once again.
Ooh, I forgot about "Spider." And I was going to include "City of God" as well, but I think it wasn\’t released in the U.S. until the following year.
There should be some standard about the year of a movie. I think it should be release data in country of origin. Netflix usually has that year, and that is what I go by.
ugh to Solaris. Tarkovsky is genius. Soderbergh is terrible and terribly overrated.
1. Talk to Her (Pedro Almodovar)
2. City of God (Fernando Meirelles)
3. Far From Heaven (Todd Haynes)
4. Adaptation (Spike Jonze)
5. Punch-Drunk Love (Paul Thomas Anderson)
6. Pianist (Roman Polanski)
7. Distant (Nuri Bilge Ceylan)
8. Hero (Zhang Yimou)
9. About Schmidt (Alexander Payne)
10. Spider (David Cronenberg)
Irreversible by Gaspar Noé is one of the most innovative and powerful movie of not only the year 2002 but of the whole decade. A true masterpiece, and nobody have top it since.
Well here\’s your first list that has no overlap with mine: Punch Drunk Love, Adaptation, About a Boy, Road to Perdition, Insomnia, Catch Me If You Can, The Bourne Identity, One Hour Photo, Panic Room, Blade II
Uh, yeah, the suggestion that "Adaptation" "falls apart at the end" kind of reveals more about the reviewer than the movie. If it feels disjointed, there\’s a purpose to that.
Soderbergh\’s Solaris is so underrated. Much better than Tarkovsky\’s sterile version.
I guess you guys didn\’t understand the third act of Adaptation. It\’s okay, just blame it on Edward Davis.
y tu mama tambien should be ranked highter, 25th hour somewhat lower. both films are great, though. spike lee has been on a downward spiral since. cuaron on an upward trajectory.
Adaptation "fell apart at the end" because it was supposed to. It became a Donald Kaufman film.
Some good choices here. My favorites were: Gangs of New York, Far From Heaven, Adaptation, Talk to Her, The Pianist, Y Tu Mama Tambien, About Schmidt, Punch Drunk Love, Minority Report, What Time Is It There? and Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner. Also, have a soft spot for "Road to Perdition," which I liked better than most others did.