The CS! AFI Top 100 Movies of the 21st Century - So Far

Spider-Man 2: In an era where comic book films have oversaturated the market, Spider-Man 2 still stands as one of the genre's crowning achievements. It does a great job of building off the world created in 2002's Spider-Man, it has one of the best villain performances in Alfred Molina's Doc Ock, and maybe one of my favorite action sequences in a comic book film with the runaway train. It might not be super serious and gritty like the Dark Knight trilogy, and it might not have the expanded universe possibilities of the MCU, but it is a very well told story with a great grasp on it's characters and the problems they face. With every current Hollywood blockbuster so focused on being big and focused on setting up the steps for future installments, it's refreshing to watch a comic book movie that feels so singular, only worried about the here and now.

Uncut Gems: "Adam Sandler's best performance of his career" is not something I thought I would ever say with a straight face in 2019, but then came Uncut Gems, an absolute masterclass in tense, uncomfortable story telling. Starring as Howard Ratner, The Sandman truly is a tour de force, giving one of the best performances of the 2010's. As much as I love Sandler in this, the success of Uncut Gems and the fact that it made this list says as much about Sandler as it does the directors, Josh and Benny Safdie. The duo are responsible for making the types of movies where you should check your heart rate when the credits roll. Things move quick, characters talk fast and you are never sure what's next. With Uncut Gems, the brothers seemed to have mastered this type of storytelling. New York feels like a character in itself whenever it's a Safdie bros movie, and Uncut Gems is no different. They present their stories with a unique sense of frenetic energy that is unmatched today.

The Irishman: Martin Scorsese's name is synonymous with gangster pictures, so it should be no surprise that he would eventually return to them with 2019's The Irishman. What's different this time around though, from not only Scorsese, but the cast as well, is perspective. Goodfellas and Casino were made in the '90s, when both Scorsese and his stars, Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci were much younger. Al Pacino, who also stars in this made Scarface in the '80s. While The Irishman may share some of the same themes as Scorsese's previous works, this looks at them through a different lens. There is a deeper feeling of regret and sorrow in this than Goodfellas, even though Frank Sheeran may never fully admit it. Because of this, The Irishman feels much more rewarding than I had anticipated it to be. Sure, the long run time or the at times sloppy CGI may turn people off, but to me, in a weird way, makes The Irishman all the more endearing. It's one of the few films in recent years that I watched beginning to end in a theater without taking my eyes away from the screen. That means something to me. It features fabulous performances both leading and supporting. Pacino is unbelievable and Pesci plays against type to perfection. Time will tell how The Irishman holds up, but nearly a year later, I still can't get over it.

Dunkirk: To me, Dunkirk is one of Christopher Nolan's greatest achievements. It's a personal favorite of mine, and on the surface it's a bit odd that it is. To start, while I thoroughly enjoy War movies, I wouldn't call it one of my favorite genres. Secondly, leading up to Dunkirk, Nolan's most recent entries, 2012's The Dark Knight Rises and 2014's Interstellar were, to me, disappointing. While both films have their strengths and some genuinely great moments, the total package felt like a mess. With a much shorter runtime than those films and a more focused story, Nolan utilizes his obsession with time and apply it to a real world story for the first time in God knows how long. That alone is a welcome sight. Outside of Blade Runner 2049 and maybe a few others, this is one of the best big screen experiences of the 2010's. The images displayed are stunning. By telling a war story set in the real world, this makes Dunkirk feel a bit more urgent than his previous works. The tension is that much greater knowing what you are watching actually happened.  No Science Fiction, no dreams, no one that dresses up like a bat. It's a refreshing change of scenery for Nolan, and one I wasn't sure initially how it would turn out. Watching the final moments of Dunkirk wrap up, with its 3 interwoven stories and it's non-linear structure, it felt to me like I was watching a symphony and Nolan was the conductor, and it was a joy to see.


The Royal Tenenbaums: This seems to be one of the moments where director Wes Anderson takes a pretty big leap in filmmaking. This is Anderson's third feature film, and while the quirkiness we have come to expect for his entire career is on display with Tenenbaums, it is also darker than Bottle Rocket and Rushmore, his prior works. Anderson has always struck me as someone who could get the best work from Owen Wilson, whom he co-wrote Tenenbaums with, and while Eli Cash is not the lead, Wilson turns in a memorable performance along with his brother Luke Wilson and Ben Stiller. This is a star studded cast, as we come to expect with Anderson's movies, and to be honest everyone pretty much turns in a great performance. Family is a mess, and at times traumatic. Anderson tackles this idea, among others, in a way that feels sincere and real.



More to come.

I think it be good to wait until after October in general given so much of the forum is focused on spookiness right now.

How about if I push it to November 13th?

Yes.  Though I should ask thebtskink if it already being in an Excel format works for the way we plan to do this.  Well, Skink?

I can work around if minor formatting stuff pops up, but if people try to remember to stick to that it'll cut some time off.

I'm gonna have to mess with some formatting regardless, just trying to reduce the time.

Okay.  I'm officially pushing the deadline to November 13th, to give those focused on Halloween viewing a bit more time to get organized.

I don't know about anyone else, but I've been on the ball.  Since Observe and Report last week, been steadily checking others off my To See list.  I'm now down to 4 Haven't-Seen-Yet's: Borat, Beale Street, Florida Project and Spirited Away.

I watch 20 movies in the last 12 days. The 4 movie days kinda blended together.

Now we have an alternative viewing options for election night.

Watching Cloud Atlas now and what a frustrating and fascinating movie. No idea where I'm gonna rank it.