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Films of the 2000s Rankdown


Alex95

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Joint Security Area

 

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Like Derek alluded to in his writeup, I think we've reached the point in the rankdown where a intriguing-looking foreign movie with great reviews that few, if any of us, have seen isn't going to cut it anymore. I believe I have saved it once when I ddin't care about anything else, and I have started delving into Korean mysteries, but this one I haven't gotten around to waching yet. Joint Security Area was shot on location in South Korea and concerns an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the deaths of two North Korean soldiers within the DMZ, the heavily fortified border that separates North and South Korea. Shooter Lee claims he fired in self-defense while a North Korean survivor says it was a premeditated attack and it is up to investigator Jean to determine the truth. It was the highest-grossing film in Korean film history at the time and won Best Film at the 2000 Blue Dragon Film Awards and the 2001 Grand Bell Awards which is great but out it goes now.

 

Save: Road to Perdition

Edited by ~Tom~
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Primer (2004 dir. by Shane Carruth)

 

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I was initially going to cut Primer but figured since Dawn of the Dead was a likely cut that I would give it a serviceable send-off. But @totes4totes pushed me to finally cut this film, which I once loved a lot, but am perfectly fine letting go because the director/lead actor really is chronically abusive trash. 

 

This is a psychological sci-fi film that was made with literally no budget - $7,000 USD. The production crew was only five people large. The rest of the actors in the cast are friends and family of Carruth. It was filmed in two weeks using 16mm  film stock and shot with a ratio of 2:1. Carruth himself studied physics to develop the language of the film and was also the only person involved in post-production, which took him two years. Though the budget was essentially non-existent, the film is really good, objectively. It is about the accidental discovery of time travel by scientists, the realism of scientific discovery, and the troubles of those gifted with power due to scientific discovery. 

 

There is a lot of philosophical conversation started by the film's plot, which is admittedly complex (though this was done purposefully by Carruth). The film is thus a bit controversial, but most critics tended to love the film and admire it for what it achieved with so little. I really like the film, but Carruth has been horribly violent towards women across many years. So it is time to let this film go.

 

SAVING: The Wrestler

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3 minutes ago, totes4totes said:

the wrestler is as much a sports film as the conjuring is a family drama

I know it’s more a psychological drama; I’ve seen it but does not seem a film he’d save at this stage, lol.

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  • Alex95 changed the title to Films of the 2000s Rankdown (Chris & Steven's Noms Posted)
1 hour ago, Deeee said:

which I once loved a lot, but am perfectly fine letting go because the director/lead actor really is chronically abusive trash. 

Primer and Upstream Color were two of my favorite films. I’ll watch them again when Carruth is dead

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Dawn of the Dead

 

I am not really a fan of either and both have been saved in recent rounds by other rankers of the game so I don't think I could go wrong with a choice to cut but I'll go with the suggestion given which means goodbye to Dawn of the Dead. Me cutting another horror film wasn't even my fault this time anyway, it was released in 2004. It has a average of 76 percent on rotten tomatoes so it isn't too good or bad. It is a remake which usually always means it sucks and was not necessary to make, which this film was no different.

 

Saving Mother

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  • Alex95 changed the title to Films of the 2000s Rankdown (Derek & Diana's Noms Next)

Mystic River (2003 dir. by Clint Eastwood)

 

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Really like almost all of the film noms in this set. Mystic River included. But Sean Penn also has a long history of abuse and I will just remain consistent.

 

Mystic River is a crime-drama-mystery film based on the 2001 novel of the same name by author Dennis Lehan. Here is a brief synopsis of the story that does a good job of succinctly telling you about the plot:

 

"The film revolves around three boys who grow up as friends in Boston — Dave Boyle, Sean Devine, and Jimmy Marcus. When the story opens, Dave is abducted by child molesters while he, Sean, and Jimmy are horsing around on a neighborhood street. Dave escapes and returns home days later, emotionally shattered by his experience. The film then moves forward 25 years: Sean has become a homicide detective, Jimmy is an ex-convict who currently owns a convenience store, and Dave is a shell of a man. Jimmy's daughter disappears and is found brutally murdered in a city park, and that same night, Dave comes home to his wife, covered in blood. Sean is assigned to investigate the murder, and the three childhood friends are caught up in each other's lives again."

 

The three leads are Sean Penn, Kevin Bacon, and Tim Robbins. The supporting cast is also pretty stacked - Marcia Gay Harden, Emmy Rossum, Laura Linney, Laurence Fishburne, Spencer Treat Clark, John Doman, Ari Graynor, and more. Ton of great performances here and the story is super compelling. The beginning and ending of this film are really, really dark and mess you up a bit. The film is just all-around good. Critics received it with acclaim and commercially the film did well, raking in $156.8 million on a $25-30 million budget. Awards season was super kind to this film, which earned Oscars for Sean Penn and Tim Robbins for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor, respectively, while also earning noms for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Adapted Screenplay.

 

Solid placement for this movie and honestly it could even rank a bit higher. But I do not care for Sean Penn and that is my justification!

 

SAVING: Into the Wild

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  • Alex95 changed the title to Films of the 2000s Rankdown (Derek & Diana's Noms Posted)

A Beautiful Mind

 

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Partly based on John Forbes Nash Jr.'s biography "A Beautiful Mind" by Sylvia Nasar, A Beautiful Mind stars Russell Crowe in the lead role and is directed by Ron Howard. From the heights of notoriety to the depths of depravity, John Forbes Nash Jr. experienced it all. A mathematical genius, he accepts work in cryptography to thwart a Soviet plot. Soon after that when he develops paranoid schizophrenia, this takes a toll on his wife Alicia (played by Jennifer Connolly). He eventually deals with his hllucinatios and can teach at Princeton. Did I like this film ok when I watched a long time ago? Yes. Is it memorable enough to keep around at this point? No, plus I'm not a big Russell Crowe fan either.

 

Save: Final Destination

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