Movies/TV worth watching (or at least discussing)

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Other than Almost Famous, which was incredible, several of these movies have the same tone to them. The few I have seen I hated - Royal Tenenbaums was one of the only movies I have walked out of and Sideways was insufferable.

I don’t watch movies as much anymore but I don’t think this is a very accurate list. Though I struggle to think of alternatives off the top of my head.

Different strokes, I suppose. I adore Royal Tennenbaums. I like most Wes Anderson flicks.

Sideways didn't do much for me, though having lived in the CA Central Coast, I enjoyed the scenery.

[JasonEvans]

I've seen 49 of the top 50 films on the screenplay list**. I have some quibble with it but no major "WTF!?!?!" kind of moments. It is a fine list.

The top 5 are unassailably brilliant. I will fight anyone who thinks they are not super high quality scripts.

I could move Moonlight (#6) and especially There Will Be Blood (#7) down a bit... perhaps more than a bit in the case of Blood as I found that script to jump around too much and not have enough focus.

I think Memento at #10 is actually low. It belongs aside and perhaps ahead of some of those top 5 films. That story is brilliantly constructed.

Her (#17) would not be in the top 20 on my list, not even close. That film is a wonderful concept and set up but never really goes anywhere interesting.

I think Children of Men (#18) is better in theatrical production than in screenplay craftmanship.

I'm surprised to find Michael Clayton on this list and really surprised to see it at #20. I'm not upset by its placement but am surprised it got this kind of attention. I'm a big fan of that film, not enough folks saw it.

Arrival (#27) is the opposite of Children of Men, a more clever script than film, IMO.

I'd push Inside Out (#29) and The Departed (#30) into my top 20 for sure.

#33-#35, Up/MeanGirls/WALL-E might be the best pure comedies on this list.

And someone please find a way for me to push #48-#50 (Incredibles, Knives Out, Ex Machina) into the top 25 or so.

-Jason "**-care to guess which one I am missing?" Evans

[Acymetric]

I'm surprised to find Michael Clayton on this list and really surprised to see it at #20. I'm not upset by its placement but am surprised it got this kind of attention. I'm a big fan of that film

Now there are two of us!

[aimo]

Other than Almost Famous, which was incredible, several of these movies have the same tone to them. The few I have seen I hated - Royal Tenenbaums was one of the only movies I have walked out of and Sideways was insufferable.

I don’t watch movies as much anymore but I don’t think this is a very accurate list. Though I struggle to think of alternatives off the top of my head.

Ditto for both.

Personally, I thought Oh Brother Where Art Thou was pure genius and should be higher than 99. I also loved Midnight in Paris (83).

[Billy Dat]

Here is my 100-word review of what will almost certainly be the best film of 2021, Licorice Pizza

Yes, I've got this one circled on the calendar. I get my chance the week between Xmas and NYE.

Since most of us watch the film and don't read the screenplay, why do you suppose one might be ranked higher as a film than a screenplay or vice versa.

"Michael Clayton" is an amazing film, one of my favorites.

[JasonEvans]

One of the two critics group I belong to, the Atlanta Film Critics Circle (I am also a member of SEFCA, the Southeastern Film Critics Association) announced their awards yesterday. I thought you all might enjoy seeing who we picked as the award winners:




TOP 10 FILMS:

1. Licorice Pizza
2. The Power of the Dog
3. The Green Knight
4. Belfast
5. Tick, Tick … Boom!
6. Drive My Car
7. Titane
8. West Side Story
9. Flee
10. Dune (tie)
10. The Worst Person in the World (tie)

BEST LEAD ACTOR:
Benedict Cumberbatch, The Power of the Dog

BEST LEAD ACTRESS (TIE):
Alana Haim, Licorice Pizza
Kristen Stewart, Spencer

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:
Bradley Cooper, Licorice Pizza

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
Kirsten Dunst, The Power of the Dog

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST (TIE)
Licorice Pizza
Mass

BEST DIRECTOR:
Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog

BEST SCREENPLAY:
Paul Thomas Anderson, Licorice Pizza

BEST DOCUMENTARY:
Flee

BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE:
Drive My Car (Japan)

BEST ANIMATED FILM:
The Mitchells vs. the Machines

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY:
Ari Wegner, The Power of the Dog

BEST SCORE:
Hans Zimmer, Dune

AFCC Special Award for BEST BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMER:
Agathe Rousselle, Titane

AFCC Special Award for BEST FIRST FEATURE FILM:
Lin-Manuel Miranda , Tick, Tick…Boom!

-Jason "my own ballot is strikingly similar to these winners, with a few notable differences. I will publish my full ballot in the next week of so once I have seen everything. I still have to attend screenings of Spiderman, Nightmare Alley, and Matrix" Evans

[OldPhiKap]

Ditto for both.

Personally, I thought Oh Brother Where Art Thou was pure genius and should be higher than 99. I also loved Midnight in Paris (83).

I thought O Brother > No Country, but maybe it’s because the No Country book is better than the movie.

[brevity]

WGA lists the greatest screenplays of the 21st century.

No business on this list:

9. Almost Famous (2000)
10. Memento (2000)
47. Gladiator (2000)
58. You Can Count on Me (2000)
78. Erin Brockovich (2000)
99. O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)

Those are 6 open spots that should go to screenplays of films that ACTUALLY came out in the 21st century.

Writers Guild of America: Good with words, not so good with math.

[JasonEvans]

No business on this list:

9. Almost Famous (2000)
10. Memento (2000)
47. Gladiator (2000)
58. You Can Count on Me (2000)
78. Erin Brockovich (2000)
99. O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)

Those are 6 open spots that should go to screenplays of films that ACTUALLY came out in the 21st century.

Writers Guild of America: Good with words, not so good with math.

I was about to flip out on you... right up until I realized you were right.

[JasonEvans]

I am delighted to report that Steven Spielberg might actually know what he is doing in the director's chair. West Side Story is easily his best film since Lincoln. Here is my 100-word review: https://flixchat.blogspot.com/2021/1...west-side.html

It is truly hard to take something built for the stage and turn it into a genuine cinematic experience, but Spielberg succeeds masterfully in this stunning production.

[Nrrrrvous]

I got a kick out of sideways but not sure the script is top 20 for the 21st century.

I’m not a big Anderson film fan but they’re certainly written in a particular style and I can appreciate its unique genius even if it’s not for me.

I'm weird when it comes to Anderson. I absolutely loved Grand Budapest Hotel but tried twice to watch Tenenbaums and didn't make it longer than 15 minutes either time.

[bundabergdevil]

I'm weird when it comes to Anderson. I absolutely loved Grand Budapest Hotel but tried twice to watch Tenenbaums and didn't make it longer than 15 minutes either time.

You know, I probably shouldn’t have made a blanket statement. I did enjoy Life Aquatic but most of them just don’t do it for me, which is fine. Amazing meticulousness though.

[Nrrrrvous]

I've seen 49 of the top 50 films on the screenplay list**.

-Jason "**-care to guess which one I am missing?" Evans

I'm going to take a guess with either Before Sunset or A Serious Man.

[JasonEvans]

I'm going to take a guess with either Before Sunset or A Serious Man.

Nope, it was #43 Amélie. I really need to find time to see that flick. Supposed to be excellent.

[Phredd3]

No business on this list:

9. Almost Famous (2000)
10. Memento (2000)
47. Gladiator (2000)
58. You Can Count on Me (2000)
78. Erin Brockovich (2000)
99. O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)

Those are 6 open spots that should go to screenplays of films that ACTUALLY came out in the 21st century.

Writers Guild of America: Good with words, not so good with math.

I was about to flip out on you... right up until I realized you were right.

No, brevity is not right. The issue here is the meaning of the phrase "21st Century". This is not a math question, it is a linguistic one. Most people using the phrase "21st Century" intend it as a synonym for the phrase "the 2000s". People use those terms interchangeably all the time. Does that mean the "1st Century" doesn't have a full hundred years in it, because there was no Year 0? Yes, it does. Words are not necessarily logical.

So, just to reiterate:

Writers Guild of America: Good with words.

I love math, but this is my hill, and I'll die here if I have to.

[CameronBornAndBred]

No, brevity is not right. The issue here is the meaning of the phrase "21st Century". This is not a math question, it is a linguistic one. Most people using the phrase "21st Century" intend it as a synonym for the phrase "the 2000s". People use those terms interchangeably all the time. Does that mean the "1st Century" doesn't have a full hundred years in it, because there was no Year 0? Yes, it does. Words are not necessarily logical.

So, just to reiterate:

Writers Guild of America: Good with words.

I love math, but this is my hill, and I'll die here if I have to.

Yep. Every century starts with year zero.

[Acymetric]

No, brevity is not right. The issue here is the meaning of the phrase "21st Century". This is not a math question, it is a linguistic one. Most people using the phrase "21st Century" intend it as a synonym for the phrase "the 2000s". People use those terms interchangeably all the time. Does that mean the "1st Century" doesn't have a full hundred years in it, because there was no Year 0? Yes, it does. Words are not necessarily logical.

So, just to reiterate:

Writers Guild of America: Good with words.

I love math, but this is my hill, and I'll die here if I have to.

Well, it's been nice knowing you, because this is incorrect and just because you want it the other way doesn't make it so.

[Phredd3]

Well, it's been nice knowing you, because this is incorrect and just because you want it the other way doesn't make it so.

We'll just see how many people come to your end-of-the-century party compared to mine the year before...

...oh, wait...never mind.

[CameronBornAndBred]

According to wiki...

Although a century can mean any arbitrary period of 100 years, there are two viewpoints on the nature of standard centuries. One is based on strict construction, while the other is based on popular perception.

According to the strict construction, the 1st century AD began with AD 1 and ended with AD 100, the 2nd century spanning the years 101 to 200, with the same pattern continuing onward.[note 1] In this model, the n-th century starts with the year that ends with "01", and ends with the year that ends with "00"; for example, the 20th century comprises the years 1901 to 2000 in strict usage.[2]

In popular perception and practice, centuries are structured by grouping years based on sharing the 'hundreds' digit(s). In this model, the 'n' -th century starts with the year that ends in "00" and ends with the year ending in "99";[3] for example, the years 1900 to 1999, in popular culture, constitute the 20th century.[4] (This is similar to the grouping of "0-to-9 decades" which share the 'tens' digit.)

To facilitate calendrical calculations by computer, the astronomical year numbering and ISO 8601 systems both contain a year zero, with the astronomical year 0 corresponding to the year 1 BCE, the astronomical year -1 corresponding to 2 BCE, and so on.[5][6]

So that definitively answers that!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Century

[aimo]

According to wiki...



So that definitively answers that!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Century

Clear as mud.