Punch-drunk Love has such a bizarre and singular charm it's hard to describe. It's like if Kubrick and Altman had combined forces and made a sweet, stoned art-house-romantic-comedy. It won PT Anderson best director at Cannes and the cinematography and sound design are simply jawdropping. I can't really even think of another film to compare it to. You have to see it in a theater. Unlike many indie comedies of the last decade (if you consider Punch-drunk Love to be one) there is no snarky dialogue, no manic pixie dream girls, no montages that could be vintage clothing ads, no Apatow humor-lite, etc. It's utterly sincere and devoid of self-conscious hipness.
10. Inland Empire 9. Grizzly Man 8. Sympathy For Lady Vengeance 7. Spirited Away 6. Ghost World 5. Punchdrunk Love 4. Let The Right One In 3. A Serious Man 2. Code Unknown 1. Mulholland Drive
(Also: Cache, The Piano Teacher, Broken Flowers, In The Mood For Love, Kill Bill Vol. 2, Inglorius Basterds, Far From Heaven, I'm Not There, Children Of Men, Climates, Duck Soup, Zodiac, A History Of Violence, Eastern Promises, Hurt Locker, The Man Who Wasn't There, No Country For Old Men, There WiIl Be Blood, The Proposition, Y Tu Mama Tambien, Dogville, Bad Lieutenant: Port Of Call New Orleans, Fog Of War, Palindromes, Talk To Her, The Triplets Of Bellville)
And the 5-most-overrated/obnoxious -"Indie-comedies"-of-the -decade-that-I can't-belileve-I-keep-seeing-on-top-10-lists 5. The Royal Tennebaums 4. Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind 3. Knocked Up 2. Juno 1. Lost In Translation
I guess a $13 million domestic gross looks small compared to most films, but it's about $10 million more than any film Jim Jarmusch has ever made (not to mention the $32 million it did internationally). It's also his most accessible and mainstream film. (My parents really liked it.) I guess I just expected a bigger surprise at number one, considering I haven't seen another film on the list, but I've seen Broken Flowers a dozen times.
Editors' note: Unfortunate changes in lawrence.com staffing
Boomer-girl-diary-lady for real? What a great fit for the site! I'm sure she'll woo the readership with her insights on "crushes" and colonoscopies....
http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2009/aug...
http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2009/oct...
June 19, 2010 at 2 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Top 10 Movies of the Decade
Punch-drunk Love has such a bizarre and singular charm it's hard to describe. It's like if Kubrick and Altman had combined forces and made a sweet, stoned art-house-romantic-comedy. It won PT Anderson best director at Cannes and the cinematography and sound design are simply jawdropping. I can't really even think of another film to compare it to. You have to see it in a theater.
Unlike many indie comedies of the last decade (if you consider Punch-drunk Love to be one) there is no snarky dialogue, no manic pixie dream girls, no montages that could be vintage clothing ads, no Apatow humor-lite, etc. It's utterly sincere and devoid of self-conscious hipness.
January 5, 2010 at 6:23 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Top 10 Movies of the Decade
Oops....Duck Season, NOT Duck Soup... a big difference there....
January 4, 2010 at 5:23 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Top 10 Movies of the Decade
10. Inland Empire
9. Grizzly Man
8. Sympathy For Lady Vengeance
7. Spirited Away
6. Ghost World
5. Punchdrunk Love
4. Let The Right One In
3. A Serious Man
2. Code Unknown
1. Mulholland Drive
(Also: Cache, The Piano Teacher, Broken Flowers, In The Mood For Love, Kill Bill Vol. 2, Inglorius Basterds, Far From Heaven, I'm Not There, Children Of Men, Climates, Duck Soup, Zodiac, A History Of Violence, Eastern Promises, Hurt Locker, The Man Who Wasn't There, No Country For Old Men, There WiIl Be Blood, The Proposition, Y Tu Mama Tambien, Dogville, Bad Lieutenant: Port Of Call New Orleans, Fog Of War, Palindromes, Talk To Her, The Triplets Of Bellville)
And the 5-most-overrated/obnoxious -"Indie-comedies"-of-the -decade-that-I can't-belileve-I-keep-seeing-on-top-10-lists
5. The Royal Tennebaums
4. Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind
3. Knocked Up
2. Juno
1. Lost In Translation
January 3, 2010 at 8:11 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Top 10 Overlooked Movies of the Last Five Years
I guess a $13 million domestic gross looks small compared to most films, but it's about $10 million more than any film Jim Jarmusch has ever made (not to mention the $32 million it did internationally). It's also his most accessible and mainstream film. (My parents really liked it.) I guess I just expected a bigger surprise at number one, considering I haven't seen another film on the list, but I've seen Broken Flowers a dozen times.
October 8, 2009 at 5:42 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Vermont Street BBQ closing in four days
best restaurant staff in town!
September 25, 2009 at 10:38 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Scenesters, with Christa Dalien
Finally!
September 25, 2009 at 10:36 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Mark of the Beast
Gross.
April 27, 2009 at 3:17 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Top 10 Movie Journalists
"Ace In The Hole" and "Fletch" are two of my all time favorites. Maybe Warren Beatty in "The Parallax View."
April 24, 2009 at 4:36 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Top 10 Subversive Comedies
Milos Forman's "The Fireman's Ball"
April 14, 2009 at 11:58 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )