#031 - Top 200 Movies of the Decade (175-151)

To check out numbers 176-200, go here.

I hope everyone had a good Christmas. My Christmas gifts this year included a Criterion Collection edition of Bottle Rocket, with new hand-drawn cover art (a la The Savages). Speaking of The Savages, I'd like to direct your attention to a short post on the best movie posters of the decade, at the following link:

http://www.theauteurs.com/notebook/posts/1327

I don't necessarily agree or disagree with anything they list there. Most of them are pretty solid. But it does seem like an egregious oversight to leave any Joker-related Dark Knight posters off that list.

And in honor of Bottle Rocket, Wes Anderson's first feature, today's portion will include Anderson's first appearance on the countdown.

Let's continue:

175. The Station Agent (Thomas McCarthy, 2003) - A lot of people might say McCarthy's follow up, The Visitor, was better than this, but I haven't seen it. And this is the only movie I've ever seen not to exploit little people, but rather to pose them sympathetically. Peter Dinklage is pretty superb, you try to overlook his physical traits and say, "Hey, this is a normal guy, trying to live a normal life." It's a very well-made film, with a good story by someone who has a fantastic grasp on human relationships.

174. Things We Lost in the Fire (Susanne Bier, 2007) - A movie that clearly sets out to destroy your emotional balance. There are lots of swings in the storyline, ups and downs, where you both cheer for and are sickened by Benicio del Toro's character, a recovering junkie who moves in with his best friend's widow and children. It's a plot designed to make you angry, and it does, only not without tip-toeing along the line between moving and wretched. Grave and not flashy, but very worthwhile. Halle Berry seems to be getting the hang of "broken woman".

173. Star Trek (J.J. Abrams, 2009) - Just the opposite of the previous movie, Star Trek is a completely box office-driven summer spectacle. Chris Pine is spot on as the new Kirk, and Zachary Quinto is characteristically weird as Spock, but it's the full-boil action and sharp dialogue that made this movie entertaining. I'm not particularly a Star Trek fan, but it was good, just so long as they don't beat it to death with a series of fifteen installments.

172. Kinsey (Bill Condon, 2004) - The subject himself made this movie interesting, and surprisingly enough, I find it's been the role most comfortable for Liam Neeson to play. He's a natural. But it's strong performances by Laura Linney and Chris O'Donnell that I think carry this movie from "watchable" to "good". Odd to be saying that about O'Donnell at this point in his career, but I think he should embrace the task of serviceable support, since he never really caught on as a lead.

171. Monsters, Inc. (Peter Docter, 2001) - I think of all the top animated hits of the decade, I think Monsters, Inc. might be the one adults are most embarrassed to admit liking. Possibly because a featured character is a young girl named "Boo". But the cast here is dynamic. I love Goodman and Crystal, and their analogs on screen pop with chemistry. It may not provide the one-liners of Shrek or the visual beauty of Wall-E, but it's a darned fun movie to watch.

170. Seven Pounds (Gabriele Muccino, 2008) - Will Smith and Muccino, back in the act. I'm not even going to list The Pursuit of Happyness here, so it's a nod to the duo that their follow-up effort is improved. Even though this movie might have cheated a little with emotions, I still found it to be compelling and well-done. I remember it having a terrific trailer, and even though it didn't get a lot of critical acclaim, I wasn't disappointed with it at all.

169. High Fidelity (Stephen Frears, 2000) - What better movie to appear on this list than a movie about lists? It's weird to me that a movie written and directed by Englishmen could be so American at heart--a coming of age story about a thirtysomething and his pitfalls in love and his love of rock music. I'm a big John Cusack fan. I think he's solid. And this movie is entertaining and easy to identify with. My favorite Nick Hornby adaptation to date.

168. Broken Flowers (Jim Jarmusch, 2005) - This is Bill Murray in the jaded stage of his career, as I mentioned before with Lost in Translation (#201). And I think he's right on point. He matches well with Jarmusch, a man whose writing has always been sharp and melancholy. Maybe it wasn't the critical success it seemed destined to be, but I thought it was amusing and thoughtful, with particularly entertaining performances by Jeffrey Wright and Mark Webber.

167. Unknown White Male (Rupert Murray, 2005) - Controversial. Period. I believe this is the first documentary on my countdown, though the "document" part of it could be argued, I suppose. It's a story about a guy living in New York who wakes up one day on the subway and has his memory just wiped clean. He doesn't know his name or where he is or what he's doing with his life--and his friend decides to make a documentary about it. Really compelling, but some of the things are so unbelievable it's hard to throw yourself behind the story 100%. Maybe it's a fake, maybe it isn't, but I know that after I got done watching it, I went straight to Google and started looking up as much as I can. It works. It works damned well.

166. Charlie Wilson's War (Mike Nichols, 2007) - An all-star cast including Tom Hanks and director Mike Nichols, and yet, after the initial splash this movie made, it sort of faded away with ease. But Aaron Sorkin's return to the big screen after 10 years of television was really solid. I think timing-wise it was terrific, and even though it wasn't a secret to anybody, relating the Iran/Afghanistan situation to modern day was really enlightening to me, somebody who didn't live through it the first time around. Hanks is a little odd, not his greatest performance. But Philip Seymour Hoffman is absolutely fantastic, proving that he's one of the best in character roles.

165. Old School (Todd Phillips, 2003) - This was the movie that started it all when it comes to the decade of Frat Pack comedies. And I think it still stands up to the rest, because it has both a solid number of laughs and a well-crafted story to keep the momentum rolling between the high points. Unfortunately it was Luke Wilson's last hurrah, it seems, which is a shame because I always liked him. But you know you've already incorporated so many of these lines into your dialect that you probably forget where they came from. He gonna do one!

164. X Men (Bryan Singer, 2000) - A decade that was smothered with comic book movies might never have been if not for this one. It was modern, it was sleek, it was exciting, it was everything that a superhero movie should have been, and the incorporation of the mutants into today's society made it accessible and fresh. As a whole it might have been more flawed than some of the films to follow it, but you have to give credit to the predecessor, and X Men was a definite winner. Just look at Hugh Jackman's career, and try to imagine what it would be without this break.

163. Monster (Patty Jenkins, 2003) - I have a negative bias towards this movie, but that shouldn't take away from how successful it was. Charlize Theron was fascinating, but all of the incredible press she received from this film I thought was a little bit misdirected--her acting was good, but not world-class, she just happened to have a good make up artist. Still, the movie receives plenty of bonus points for the originality of the story (true or not) and the movie-making conventions it socked in the face.

162. A Scanner Darkly (Richard Linklater, 2006) - Linklater has essentially become the master of dialogue, with Before Sunset and Before Sunrise, and now has crowned himself master of rotoscope with this Philip K. Dick adaptation. This film was immensely intriguing from the first preview, and while it didn't hit as many peaks as I would have liked it to, it was still an inventive take on the grisly story. To do it well in live action would have required too much CGI. I give Linklater a lot of credit for releasing an adult-themed animation, definitely the best angle for his interpretation.

161. Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter and Spring (Bom yeoreum gaeul gyeoul guerigo bom) (Ki-duk Kim, 2003) - About as tranquil a movie as you can get. Its direction is like a slow interpretive dance, telling the story of a young Korean boy who learns at the feet of a Buddhist monk at a floating temple. It is breathtaking and precise, the kind of movie that leads to a lot of introspection, and leaves you with a lot of respect for the life that the old monk chooses to lead. Certainly not flashy, but a higher level art form.

160. Gone Baby Gone (Ben Affleck, 2007) - It's a surprise to me that I'm ranking a Ben Affleck-directed movie, but alas, here it is. His choice of Casey as the lead, while obvious, was the right one--I personally think Casey is the superior actor, much more relatable to viewers. Again based on a Dennis Lehane novel, this was a pretty natural follow up to Mystic River. Similar themes, similar Boston locations, similar accents. And like Mystic River, it was a gripping story with strong characters, and in this case it was bolstered by Morgan Freeman and a fantastic turn by Amy Ryan as the drug-addicted mess of a mother.

159. Coffee and Cigarettes (Jim Jarmusch, 2003) - Nearly back-to-back appearances by Jarmusch on the countdown, Coffee and Cigarettes is a series of black and white vignettes revolving around the titular cafe items that took some 17 years to put together. My personal favorite scenes include The RZA, The GZA and Bill Murray; Jack and Meg White; and the fantastically funny piece with Alfred Molina and Steve Coogan. If you haven't seen this movie at all, it's worth a view, particularly because you don't even have to watch the whole movie at once, since the scenes are only a few minutes long.

158. Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Peter Jackson, 2001) - Yes, it might set the stage for one of the most successful movie trilogies of all time. But it's almost as if they know they have you hooked for the entire ride, so they put little effort into making the first one exciting. Lots of people count this one as their favorite, don't include me in that group. It's beautifully shot and outlines a flood of character arcs, but unfortunately the snooze factor puts it at the bottom of the trio.

157. Hotel Rwanda (Terry George, 2004) - Don Cheadle's chance to shine. He had gone for years as a hailed supporting actor, always turning in strong performances, and Hotel Rwanda gave him the opportunity to lead in a very politically relevant film about the massacres in Rwanda. Unfortunately I don't think it had the gravity that they wanted it to have, perhaps because it seemed to be shot in a detached way, unlike the gritty realism a lot of third world-set films have adopted.

156. The Ring (Gore Verbinski, 2002) - I don't see a lot of horror movies. I much prefer thrillers (like Seven), but I took the bait and saw The Ring on Halloween night when it opened. I don't care what you say, The Ring was the definitive horror movie of the decade, and even set the stage for the slew of creepy kid stories that followed it (the single most abused theme in modern horror). I was scared, for sure, but also impressed. Verbinski does not dedicate himself solely to horror (he did the Pirates movies) and his ability to produce coldly chilling images went a long way in this one.

155. Waking Life (Richard Linklater, 2001) - Linklater again, rotoscope again (or should I say first?). Waking Life is a very abstract story about dreams and the perception of reality. It's a movie people like to talk about afterwards, very thought provoking, his attempt at big screen philosophy. The tale is told vignette style, jumping story to story, which keeps the content fresh and doesn't rely too heavily on one facet.

154. In the Valley of Elah (Paul Haggis, 2007) - Haggis is known as the king screenwriter of the day, but he's not too poor of a director (with this and Crash under his belt). One of the many Iraq-war related movies to come out in recent years, it's shouldered by Tommy Lee Jones in a strong and emotional performance. I think the "military coverup" angle is nearing saturation, but at the very least it sets up a decent amount of intrigue and drama, the backbone this story rests upon.

153. The Darjeeling Limited (Wes Anderson, 2007) - It took me a while, but I finally got there. Wes Anderson's first (of several) appearances here is his latest live-action film, featuring Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody and Jason Schwartzmann as three brothers traveling India by train after the death of their father. As he gets older, I think Anderson's movies get more poignant and introspective, but they lose a little bit of the sharp wit and creativity he's made his name on. It's still a good movie, don't get me wrong, but I do believe I was disappointed with it, the first time I think I can so say about one of his films. There's still hope he returns to form (and I have yet to see The Fantastic Mr. Fox).

152. Walk the Line (James Mangold, 2005) - For someone who is, at least to the general public, a relative no-name, James Mangold has made a surprising number of appearances on my list. Joaquin Phoenix was superb, in my estimation, which makes his decision to go insane and quit acting all the more unbelievable. But at least he produced this movie, which I think sensationalizes Johnny Cash's life a little much, nudging it a bit from expository towards entertaining. Phoenix's singing, though, is uncanny.

151. Millions (Danny Boyle, 2004) - Supposedly a fantastical family movie, Millions is actually a smart picture that anyone can appreciate, regardless of age. Seemingly an odd follow-up to 28 Days Later, Millions tells the story of an unpopular and imaginative boy (Alex Etel) who finds an enormous bag full of money while playing near the train tracks outside his family home. The concept is well-devised, situated around the transfer of Pounds to Euros and how the boy and his family play modern-day Robin Hood for a short time. It's a pretty moving story about togetherness, with or without the magical realism of miracles. Well done and hits on a lot of points you might not expect for a "family" film.

Well. There you have them. #175-151. Nothing too sensational, with the exception perhaps of Lord of the Rings. If you haven't seen some of the movies I've listed here and are the least interested, I definitely suggest checking them out.

It's taking me a while to rank these, but hopefully I'll get #150-126 out soon, before the decade really is over.

#030 - Top 200 Movies of the Decade (200-176)

Before I get started, I think I need to clarify a few things.

A) I have not seen every single movie this decade. I haven't even seen Inglorious Basterds. And while Jon might not understand how that's possible, it's true. Other sites out there, other critics, have seen way more movies than I have this decade, and can make a more comprehensive list than I can.

B) As a follow up, I'd like to apologize to Sherlock Holmes, which hasn't come out yet. And Avatar, which I haven't seen (but don't think looks that good anyway). And any other movie that has yet to open that might end up being fantastic. And Amelie, which I still have yet to see (and I know this is considered a crime by many). And Gangs of New York. So if there's a movie that seems like it should be an OBVIOUS addition to the list, but you don't see it, chances are I just haven't seen it yet. Or maybe I have seen it, and I just didn't think it was that great.

C) I haven't seen any Harry Potter movies, so don't get your panties in a bunch if you don't see them here. I also haven't seen any of the new Star Wars movies (I - III).

D) While some awards, like the Golden Globes (and to an extent, the Oscars) don't like to group all different kinds of movies together, I do. So this list does not exclude animated movies, documentaries, foreign movies, or, you know, "comic book movies which don't deserve Oscars". They're all in here. Though I suppose I don't include any shorts. So forgive me for that.

E) I've found it to be exceedingly hard to rank these movies. I built a program to help me out with this task, but that can only go so far. As such, this list is a generalization. Movies that find themselves in certain groups (ie Top 20) do belong in that group. But along the way, given how difficult the challenge is, I might have an instance where I flip flop on say, #123 and #124, and can't decide which I really like better. If you think it's easier than I'm making it out to be, try doing it sometime.

F) I'm open to discussion (argument). In fact, I think that's the whole purpose of doing these lists. To incite argument.

Here goes:

Honorable Mention:

205. Off the Black (James Ponsoldt, 2005)

204. Best In Show (Christopher Guest, 2000)

203. The Shape of Things (Neil LaBute, 2003)

202. Asylum (David Mackenzie, 2005)

201. Venus (Roger Michell, 2006)

200. Radio (Michael Tollin, 2003) - I don't think I've heard of anyone who dislikes this movie. It was a pretty touching story, well done, even if it didn't do anything new. A good family film.

199. Wendy and Lucy (Kelly Reichardt, 2008) - Compared to what some critics thought of this movie, this is a poor ranking for it. I thought it was good, I thought Michelle Williams was believable and strong in this performance, but it wasn't really the epic breakthrough I think many people claimed it was. A quaint little story, but not enough happened for it to really be worth a second view.

198. The History Boys (Nicholas Hytner, 2006) - A good English film adapted from a stage play. Probably a who's who of young British actors, but since we don't live there, they're not all that recognizable. I thought the students' character definitions were too loose, but a terrific performance by the boys' primary teacher, Hector (Richard Griffiths).

197. A Mighty Wind (Christopher Guest, 2003) - Already the second Guest movie to appear here. It was clever and amusing, but for me rarely laugh-out-loud funny. I know some people really love this movie--and his movies in general--but I guess it's just not my totally my thing.

196. Notes on a Scandal (Richard Eyre, 2006) - I have to admit. I actually had this ranked higher, but at the last second, moved it down a little, particularly because I realized that, while well executed and well acted, there wasn't that much memorable about the film (other than Phillip Glass's score). Judi Dench is creepy and sad, Cate Blanchett is solid (but a little bit unbelievable). Well-deserving of it's nominations, but rightly so did not win.

195. Bad Guy (Nabbeun Namja) (Ki-duk Kim, 2001) - Korean movie with a well crafted story, and nicely shot. I had some issues with the main character, a mute and borderline abusive hero/anti-hero, but overall it didn't take away from the concept of the film. Certainly interesting.

194. Rudo y Cursi (Carlos Cuaron, 2008) - First film by Alfonso's brother to make a splash in the US, pairing Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna again, this time as brothers and competing soccer stars. It was obvious that they were lacking in functional soccer choreography, but the on-field action wasn't really the main focus of the story anyway. It was a good character-driven piece that made you feel both sympathy and disdain for the two brothers.

193. Ghost World (Terry Zwigoff, 2000) - This is the weird comic book movie that seems nothing like a comic book that will probably be best known for introducing Scarlett Johansson as a young woman. Buscemi really carries this movie. Unfortunately he's kind of perfect to play a loner, or a bit of a creep.

192. Remember the Titans (Boaz Yakin, 2000) - Denzel Washington's first appearance of many on this countdown. All around good movie, I don't think there are many people out there who would argue with it. I think some people might consider Friday Night Lights to have surpassed in, in terms of a football movie, but I disagree. Maybe the action on the field was more realistic and updated, but I like the story of Titans a lot--even if it seems like a too pleasant imagining of racial relationships in the South at the time.

191. Lost In Translation (Sofia Coppola, 2003) - I think by this rank you can tell I didn't love this movie as much as some other people did. My dad actually walked out of it halfway through (I guess it wasn't his take on a "Bill Murray movie") and I have to believe for a lot of people it didn't match the long-established image of Murray. But I think it did open the door to the new Murray--even drier, angsty, and introspective. And the interaction with the Tokyo landscape was phenomenal.

190. Napoleon Dynamite (Jared Hess, 2004) - Admit it, Napoleon Dynamite was huge when it came out. Everyone was doing the "gosh" thing, asking for chapstick, and saying "Your mom goes to college." It was an oddity for the time, when comedies were trying to up the ante by being raunchier and more exploitative, Dynamite comes along and flips the convention on it's head. It seems like it was written by twelve year olds, and maybe that's why it was so funny--because everyone could appreciate the simplicity of the humor.

189. Mean Creek (Jacob Aaron Estes, 2004) - Uncomfortable. It's hard to watch this movie and not feel uncomfortable the whole way through. You just know bad things are going to happen. And eventually they do. And it seems like one of those easily preventable situations. You want to jump in and tell these kids to stop being so cruel and petty, but in the end, they're kids, and that's what they do. Josh Peck was too perfect for the role of needling fat kid George, and even he probably looks back and feels a little bit sad for himself at that age.

188. Tape (Richard Linklater, 2001) - Linklater has pretty much established himself as the guy who can make movies about people sitting around talking. And Tape is a great example of this. The whole movie takes place inside one room, with only three characters, and you learn so much and feel so much disgust for them throughout the course of the movie that they become real. Ethan Hawke at his sickest and most reprehensible.

187. Ice Age (Chris Wedge, 2002) - Come on. Everyone likes this movie. It's fun, it's funny, and that little squirrel who runs around is pretty much everyone's favorite character. It wasn't ground breaking by any means, but it has a good story that keeps your attention, clever sequences, and nice life lessons for both children and adults. What's not to like?

186. Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (George Clooney, 2002) - Every nice life lesson from Ice Age is probably undone by this movie. About TV producer Chuck Barris's supposed "secret life as a CIA agent", it's vulgar, filthy, and questionable, which of course means it's a great time. Funny and not poorly constructed, Clooney's first directorial feature was memorable. But most of the credit here would go to Charlie Kaufman's writing and Sam Rockwell's spot-on performance.

185. Bread and Roses (Ken Loach, 2000) - I saw this as part of a class which focused on Ken Loach and his experimental realism. It stars Adrien Brody before he was Adrien Brody, and a bunch of no-name Latin American actors as immigrant janitorial workers trying to unionize in a large Los Angeles office building. It is especially notable for a powerful scene between two struggling sisters, arguing over the difficulties they've faced making it in America, and for the strong performances by actors who had little to no previous screen experience. And turns out Brody was pretty solid even as a normal guy, and not an eccentric.

184. Boiler Room (Ben Younger, 2000) - It comes off as a complete vanity piece, with little to no redeeming value, but I really enjoy this movie. I think Giovanni Ribisi is a really polarizing actor--with more people falling on the side of "dislike"--but he seems well-fit for his role as a naive stock broker in a too-good-to-be-true company. The overloaded machismo fits a lot of the name actors, despite their relatively small roles, and in light of recent Ponzi scheme scandals, the concept takes on devilish new layers.

183. For Your Consideration (Christopher Guest, 2006) - Again, another Guest piece. I thought this was the strongest of them, quite amusing and very on-point in regards to the way actors treat potential Oscar consideration. It seemed the most realistic of the mockumentaries, even though it's getting a little difficult to separate all the same recurring actors from their supposed characters.

182. Antwone Fisher (Denzel Washington, 2002) - Hailed as Denzel's directorial debut, and Derek Luke's coming out party. It ended up being one of Denzel's weaker acting jobs, perhaps because he was splitting his time so thin, but Derek Luke was pretty impressive, and the story is sympathetic. Pretty painful scenes when he returns to confront his family.

181. Igby Goes Down (Burr Steers, 2002) - One of the many coming-of-age indie stories throughout the decade that sported a mixed bag of casting decisions and characters who "just want to be normal". It kind of makes you think that writers and artists out there all come from fractured childhoods and just want to be loved and mothered. But at least this one was entertaining. I think a lot of people thought Keiran Culkin was going to explode after this movie, but surprisingly he hasn't been in a whole lot since. Goldblum is enjoyable, as always.

180. House of Sand and Fog (Vadim Perelman, 2003) - This movie came out with a lot of hype, a good cast (Ben Kingsley, Jennifer Connelly), but it kind of got lost in the shuffle after it left theaters, popping back up thanks to Shohreh Aghdashloo's deserved end-of-year kudos. It's a really emotional movie, though in some situations I think they're trying too hard to make it that way. In the end you just find yourself feeling bad for all the characters.

179. District B13 (Banlieue 13) (Pierre Morel, 2004) - A French film that leaned heavily on parkour and the acrobatic martial arts of its actors, one of the very few non-Asian films that used real stunts in an impressive manner. The story was pretty solid, featuring a dystopian future Paris (of the year 2010... something tells me it won't end up looking like this next year) that has closed off District B13 and all its criminals and miscreants. It's pleasantly short enough (84 mins) to keep the action rolling and intensity up without overwhelming you.

178. Anchorman (Adam McKay, 2004) - I found it tough to rank the top comedies of the decade, including Anchorman, which for about six months dominated movie quoting and provided ample rewatchability. Even now the one-liners still work, despite being circulated for five years. Will Ferrell at his odd best, actually playing a character (albeit a relatively thin one) instead of Will-Ferrell-as-obscure-athlete-du-jour.

177. Finding Forrester (Gus Van Sant, 2000) - Look, I'll admit it. It's almost impossible to separate this movie from the now infamous "You're the man now, dog" line that has permeated the internet as ytmnd.com. But I like this movie. It has a kind of bizarre cast--Anna Paquin, Michael Pitt, no-name Rob Brown, Sean Connery, Busta Rhymes--but I like the overachiever storyline and it's interesting to see Connery play a vulnerable old man instead of a ruthless hero like he almost always is. It may have a ridiculously outdated take on urban culture, but it's a good movie. I love the scene where Jamal explains the history of the BMW logo, "but you probably already knew that."

176. The King (James Marsh, 2005) - A peculiar movie that opened to little fanfare starring Gael Garcia Bernal as a decommissioned soldier and William Hurt as his long-lost father, who completely disowns him on sight. The story is a bit twisted, as Elvis (Bernal) tries and tries to win the favor of David (Hurt), alternating between sweet sincere attempts and questionable, sometimes violent outbursts. The role seemed a bit of a challenge for Bernal, and I think he succeeded, though not quite as well as he has in other films. It's a film that's worth seeing, even if you have a hard time accepting the events of the plot.

I'll try to post #175-151 as soon as I can.

Merry Christmas, everyone. Or if you don't celebrate, I'd still like it if you enjoy your day.

#029 - Up In The Air (2009)

Director: Jason Reitman

Writer: Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner (from a book by Walter Kirn)

Runtime: 109 min.

George Clooney has mastered charm and detachedness. Bruce Wayne, Danny Ocean, Archie Gates, Michael Clayton. They all ran with Clooney's signature suave, the type of guy who you would think has a lot of good friends but not a best friend, has all the women in the world but doesn't love any, and likely doesn't even have any brothers, sisters, or parents that still check in on him. That's his character. He's like a bionic social tiger, preying on the weak, stalking his way to the top of the status ladder without breaking a sweat. He's been doing it for years. So who better to play Ryan Bingham, Up In The Air's leading man, who takes these concepts and turns them into craft. He's a little like T-1000. Incredibly successful, a shapeshifter who can be convincing in any environment, but in the end he's vulnerable to some very simple weaknesses. Oh, and neither is exactly the type to attract friends.

Ryan fires people for a living. He does it well. He's kind, gentle, professional. But his boss (Jason Bateman, who doesn't even attempt a joke, not one) wants to give some of the reins over to snappy little college grad Natalie (Anna Kendrick), who has sort of a modern steamroll approach to firing. Impersonal. Bingham balks. So the highers-up decide that he's going to take her on the road and show her the ropes. And thus, we have a storyline. So Ryan gives her the grand tour, a life which she finds to be more or less pathetic and sad. No friends, no emotions, no love. Her criticism is actually kind of odd, since her character professional is so robotic and rigid, but maybe that's the point. Underneath the other parts of the story, the theme is basic--two characters teaching each other lessons. He teaches her how to be more compassionate and sympathetic in the working world, she teaches him how to open himself up to interpersonal relationships. Which he does, with his fly-by-night, layover-lay of a girlfriend, Alex (Vera Farmiga, about as stunning and charming as she's ever been). After the midway point, the characters take their lessons and apply them, Ryan pursuing love, and Natalie pursuing new career approaches.

I apologize if that sentence was a little sterile or uninspired. I wanted to give a little run through about the storyline of the film, without being too specific or too bland, and without revealing too many details. Really I think the film was well made. The most outstanding parts to me were the interviews, the firings, the short sequences where Ryan and Natalie would sit face-to-face (or computer-to-computer) with the employees and let them go. They were quite touching, seemed to be very much based on empirical observation. And the progression of the story was executed almost flawlessly. It wasn't too fast or too slow, didn't jump around, it was easy to follow from start to finish.

But there's something about the movie that's making me view it, perhaps unfairly, with a negative bias.

It's already mid-December, and the Golden Globe nominees are being announced, and it's struck me during the process of writing this review that, really, this is the best that we have to offer so far? A middle of the road dramedy, well acted and well written that hits on its notes, but doesn't have a ton of re-watchability, and doesn't leave an overwhelming lasting impression (aside from the closing credits song choice--fantastic)? It's disappointing. In years past, we had films like There Will Be Blood have to take a close second to No Country For Old Men in every category, even though in any other year it would have been good enough to win the Oscar. We had films like The Dark Knight not even receive a nomination, because the Academy is too narrow-focused to include such "popcorn fodder" in its prestigious ceremony (oh, my bad, I forgot Christopher Nolan = Michael Bay). Brokeback Mountain didn't win. Babel, The Pianist, Traffic. All runners-up. The Prestige wasn't even nominated (crime of the century--hmm, the Academy just hates Nolan). Neither were Requiem for a Dream, Fight Club, Eternal Sunshine for the Spotless Mind. Recent history is littered with films that were overlooked on Oscar ballots. This year, even though it's not completely over, it seems as if there's no discretion, and every moderately successful film is thrown into the spotlight as a potential Best Picture contender. Was Up in the Air a good movie? Certainly. It was well done, and certainly a step up on the "serious movie" scale for Jason Reitman, who tasted a bit of Oscar seasoning with Juno. But was it the best movie of the year? I don't know. Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't. But it reinforces the fact that "movie of the year" is intensely subjective, both in taste and time frame. This year was likely hit hard by last year's writer's strike (or at least I can tell myself that to make up for the lack of quality), but that doesn't overshadow the fact that sometimes Best Picture winners come in the back door, instead of fighting their way through the front. Personally, I'll let time be the judge, and not Academy voters who can usually only see as far back as November (except for you, Crash!).

That's not to say I'm discouraging you from seeing this movie. I really did enjoy it, and it had enough funny and emotional parts to satisfy both needs, so do yourself a favor and check it out. But when you're done checking it out, come back and tell me if you think it was truly the year's best--or if you think it could contend with some of those famous snubs I listed above.

#028 - NEXT Cops Out

ESPN the Magazine's NEXT issue has been released. And as soon as I got a good look at the first two candidates, I knew that they had gone soft on their "bold" predictions--the top of the list looks more like NOW than NEXT. Here's a run down:

1. Kevin Durant, F, Oklahoma City Thunder

2. Chris Johnson, RB, Tennessee Titans

3. John Wall, G, Kentucky Wildcats

4. Stephen Strasburg, P, Washington Nationals

5. Melanie Oudin, Women's Tennis

6. Giuseppe Rossi, F, Italy/Villareal

7. Darrelle Revis, CB, New York Jets

8. Ndamukong Suh, DE, Nebraska Cornhuskers

9. Gordon Beckham, SS, Chicago White Sox

10. Bobby Ryan, RW, Anaheim Ducks

11. Jake Locker, QB, Washington Huskies

12. Jason Heyward, OF, Atlanta Braves

13. Australian National Soccer Team

14. Simona De Silvestro, Car Racing

15. JR Celski, Speed Skating

16. Derrick Favors, F, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

17. Rory McIlroy, Men's Golf

18. Juan Martin Del Potro, Men's Tennis

19. Ellery Hollingsworth, Snowboarding

20. Arthur Jones, DT, Syracuse Orangemen

20. Chandler Jones, DE, Syracuse Orangemen

20. Jon Jones, MMA

Scanning down the list, certainly there were some names I had never seen before--Rossi, for instance (I may be a little ignorant on soccer, especially individual players), Celski (speed skating, really?) and Hollingsworth (Shaun White is as far as I go). But if there are names you don't recognize, it's likely because they play a sport you don't really care about. If you do care about it, you're likely to know them--and with today's snap judgment media tidal waves, you probably are already sick of hearing how great they will be.

Kevin Durant? Seriously? He's NEXT? Last I checked (which was five seconds ago) he was 4th in the NBA in scoring at 27.7 points per game. And this is not even new. Last year, he averaged 25.3 points per game. And before that, 20.3 as a 19-year old rookie. So what exactly does it mean to be NEXT for him? 40 points a game? He's already in the NBA, against the world's greatest players, and he's damned well holding his own.

The same can be said for Chris Johnson. If you have seen any football this year--or at the least any fantasy football--you know about this guy. Oh, and you knew about him LAST year, when he rushed for 1228 yards and 9 scores in 15 games for a division-winning Titans team. THIS year, he's leading the league in rushing--1396 yards and 9 touchdowns, despite his team's 0-6 start and having to play in games like the 59-0 loss to New England. Steven Jackson is second in the league in rushing with 1120 yards. That's right. 276 yards behind. Through 11 games. Johnson's not just leading the league, he's running circles around it. He has 312 more yards than Adrian Peterson (THE Adrian Peterson) despite 13 less carries--though he certainly could have MORE carries if he didn't always run 80 yards when he touches the ball.

As for Wall? He's been everyone's favorite college cover boy for about a year and a half. Where will he go? (Kentucky) How long will he stay? (One year) Why does he dunk so hard? (The shoes). He's already got the reputation as being "the" guy. So what news is it to announce him as NEXT?

And Darrelle Revis? I think he should be downright offended by his positioning. #7 on this list, even though there have been articles out about him being the best cover corner in the NFL since October? If you're a cornerback, and people say you're the best cornerback, where is there to go from there? I'm confused. (Deion: "The Yankees." Champ: "Offense." Nnamdi: "A real team.") Revis might have been a worthy candidate last year, or maybe two years ago, but at this stage, it's barely even useful to list him there.

I just think they've gotten flat with their coverage. They work all year, scouting, talking to people, interviewing players, coaches, those in the know, trying to find who the coming year's (and years') huge stars are going to be--but most of the time, they cop out. No-brainers. It doesn't do a whole lot to put a guy on the cover with the word "NEXT" underneath him when he's already been on tons of covers. They're not making a whole lot of noise--and even worse, they have no upside to their selections. When people look back on their previous "NEXT" picks, they either look foolish (Kazuo Matsui? I mean, yeah, he's okay... but...) or they were such obvious, beat-you-over-the-head choices that the only likely response is "Yeah but everyone knew that" (LeBron James, Patrick Willis, Dwight Howard). By digging deeper, finding some hidden gems that nobody knows about, you open up a whole bunch of new possibilities--either the players hit it big, which gains instant credibility ("We saw him first") and sheds a little more about what makes him go. Or, the flip side, the athlete crashes and burns, which also leads to a more lasting legacy, in the Brien Taylor or Ryan Leaf mold, with the potential for a one-hour special down the road investigating the failures of these once-promising yearlings. Either way, you're adding a little bit more fuel to the fire than making these easy, hand-delivered picks. Their list might make a little more sense in a wide-purpose publication, like the New York Times, or on 60 Minutes, or an antiquated website like CNNSi. But ESPN should consider its user base, and also the fact that the article is only privy to online Insider subscribers, a set of readers (like myself) who probably check in more than once a year, and have already been inundated with coverage on these athletes.

But I do love me some Kevin Durant, so...