10 most under-rated English films of the decade

The article on Film.com kind of inspired me to write my own list. The reason being that I really disagreed with the article. To me, Film.com made pathetic choices. That disagreement kind of acted like a catalyst making me write my own list for the most under-rated English movies of this decade.

Now I followed certain parameters (which is followed by Film.com) while selecting the movies.

1. The film can't have surpassed $30 million, either domestically or worldwide.
2. The film can't have been nominated for/won an Oscar.

Which basically means that the movie didn't get acclaim either from revenue or awards.

So here they are, my Top 10 most under-rated English films of the decade, chronologically.


1. High Fidelity (2000)

It is useless to review the movie as most of us have seen it. For those who haven’t, go watch it! Now let’s discuss why it is under-rated.

What a soundtrack! One of the best soundtracks of the decade, if not more. Then there is John Cusack in his prime form. Jack Black with this movie made his arrival into the big league of comedians. Moments that we remember: Top 5 break-ups of all time, Evil-dead bit, the Annie Hall type dissection of a failed romance.

Because of its quirky characters, smart dialogue, and occasional bursts of penetrating humor, High Fidelity stands tall. The movie is just like the DVD back cover says, ‘a bullet’.

2. Waking Life (2001)

Richard Linklater is a genius and this film once again proves it. The film deals with the idea of lucid dreams and the nature of our existence and many other philosophical questions. What struck me about the film was the way in which the superb animation was layered over the film. What this achieves is indeed a sense of a dreamlike viewing experience. The film highlights the idea of how intertwined our dream lives and our waking lives are. Memories that we once thought to be real often turn out to dreams and vice versa.

Waking Life is a unique, cerebral experience.


3. 25th Hour (2002)

'I tattooed 'survive' on my hand the night before I went away to prison. And I did. We do what we have to do to survive.'

The film deals with 24 hours of Monty's (Edward Norton) life before he heads for the maximum security prison for the next seven years being convicted for drug possession. Knowing that he has limited time, Monty tries to spend most of his time with two of his best friends Frank (Barry Pepper) and Jacob (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and with Naturelle (Rosario Dawson), his girlfriend.

It is also one of the first movies to show the New York post 9/11. There is a sequence where we see workers cleaning away the debris from Ground Zero while Frank and Jacob argue about the future of their friendship with Monty. It acts as a terrific metaphor, that Monty's future is as bleak as the ground below. Such moments stay on with you.

The movie has a terrific ensemble cast comprising of Edward Norton, Phil Hoffman, Barry Pepper, Rosario Dawson, Anna Paquin, and Brian Cox. To Spike Lee's credit he extracts brilliant performances from every single person.

25th Hour lingers on your mind long after other movies have evaporated.


4. Punch-Drunk Love (2002)

In my wildest dream, I never imagined to see Adam Sandler in a role like this and performing like this. But then this is a Paul Thomas Anderson movie. The person who made Boogie Nights and Magnolia.

Paul Thomas Anderson's Punch Drunk Love opens with his signature move: juxtaposition. Adam Sandler, handling a nice Nissan coffee mug in the early morning light on a backstreet in LA, watches as a speeding car comes carooming towards him, flips, flips again, and skids offscreen. And then in place of what ought to follow (continuity with the car accident), a cab appears, stops, and deposits an electric organ. It's the instrument with which he will learn the harmonies of love, and it arrives on the heels of trauma.

It is a joy to see the way the camera weaves around beautifully - such fluid photography and visually so elegant. There is not a lazy moment in Punch-Drunk, every frame executed to perfection.

Punch Drunk Love is a film that can easily overwhelm your senses and as the credits roll you may feel totally drained and bewildered - but wanting more.

5. Shattered Glass (2003)

Probably the most under-rated movie of this decade, this gem tells the story of Stephen Glass, one of the top reporters for The New Republic in the 1990's, whose confession about fabricating his stories created a huge splash in the media world. The movie plays like a Greek tragedy showcasing the rise and fall of Glass.

Integrity is one of the cornerstones upon which journalism is based, and, when it is called into question, we begin to doubt everything we read in newspapers and magazines and see on television. Which makes it a very topical subject, since we in India do question the integrity of our media.

Hayden Christensen gives a superb performance and it does come as a surprise since we are used watching him in movies which only highlight his physicality. Peter Sarsgaard, Chloe Sevigny, Hank Azaria and Steve Zahn also adds perfect support.

6. Garden State (2004)

This is my personal favorite in this list. I never expected the 'guy' from Scrubs to deliver a movie which would be so touching, funny and poignant at the same time. This movie is just like a slice of life.

Zach Braff plays Andrew Largeman, a struggling actor in Los Angeles who earns his living being a waiter. The movie is about his homecoming almost after a decade since his mother has passed away. The movie is about how he deals with his grief and how he deals with his father with whom he shares a very cold, distant relationship.

Back home he meets Sam (Natalie Portman) and re-unites with his school best friend Mark (Peter Sarsgaard). The movie is about the coming of age of Andrew while Sam and Mark act as catalysts.

Natalie Portman nails the role. She is just phenomenal as Sam, the dream girl of Andrew. The movie also has a killer soundtrack which enhances the movie to another level.

The movie defines the current generation. Garden State is Indie cinema at its very best.

7. Serenity (2005)

Rarely does this happen that a show which is taken off TV (read canceled) becomes such a cult hit that the producers make a motion picture of it.

Being a huge fan of Firefly, I enjoyed Serenity even more. But that does not mean those who haven't seen Firefly will be disappointed. Serenity stands tall with all its merits as an independent Sci Fi. The characterization and the circumstances reminds me of Blake's 7. For a Sci Fi film, Serenity is pretty verbose. But of the fantastic script and its interlaced humor, it works big time.

Serenity is one of the best Sci Fi of the decade.

8. The Proposition (2005)

If we look carefully, this decade hardly saw the release of good Western movies. I only recall Open Range and 3:10 to Yuma. Even then there is a gap of 5 years between them. Western as a genre was almost non-existent. The Proposition revived it with its release.

Following the rape and murder of a colonial family, outlaw brothers Charlie (Guy Pearce) and Mike Burns (Richard Wilson) are captured by ruthless local lawman, Captain Stanley (Ray Winstone). Rather than imprisoning both fugitives, Stanley presents Charlie with a proposition (though it's really a demand) that Charlie kill his older brother, and gang leader, Arthur (Danny Huston) or else Mikey will meet his demise at the end of a hangman's noose. It is a proposition which will have karmic repercussions for all involved.

It has a stellar cast comprising Guy Pearce, Ray Winstone, Danny Huston, John Hurt and Emily Watson. Evryone performs brilliantly. The film has some of the most gorgeous photography of the Australian outback ever committed to film, showcasing it's unique desolate beauty in it's dust, flies and exquisite sunsets.

The Proposition, to me is the best Western of the decade.

9. Inland Empire (2006)

David Lynch. Another mind bender of a movie. Surreal experience. Laura Dern in the performance of her life. Do I need to say anything more? I don't think so. Experience it!

10. Rescue Dawn (2006)

Werner Herzog is one crazy genius! Rescue Dawn proves that.

After getting shot down in Laos, Dieter Dengler (Christian Bale) is captured, tortured, and eventually transported to a remote POW camp where he is united with fellow American pilots with the same problem. The film tells the story of how Dieter along with Duane (Steve Zahn) escapes from the camp. Herzog makes no attempt to pump this story up into a thrilling adventure. There is nothing thrilling about dysentery, starvation, insect bites and despair. Rescue Dawn isn't about heroism. It is about something deeper, more primitive: survival instinct.

This movie has the career best performances of Christian Bale and Steve Zahn. Rescue Dawn is one of the finest POW movies ever made in the history of cinema.

Although I have finished naming the 10 most under-rated English movies of decade, I cannot help but add one more film as recommendation.

11. The Fall (2008)

A lot of things are being told about Avatar. That James Cameron has created a new world which is breathtaking. It is rightly said so. Avatar is indeed breathtaking. But is it real? No. It is a virtual world.

How about looking at what we have and try to see if that is equally breathtaking or not? The Fall is the answer for that. This is the most gorgeous looking film in the history of cinema and that too devoid of a single frame of special effects. The Fall is what we call 'passion' - passion for cinema. Tarsem Singh shot the movie all over the world. The movie is only worth a look just for its cinematography. The colors, the framing, costumes, lighting, the backdrops, all are gorgeous; seems like a dream.

The story, screenplay could have been better. That is the reason I am keeping it at number 11 as a special mention.

I am Legend - A Review

Having read the novel already, I didn't know how the film will shape up coz the novels ends very grimly as Dr. Robert Neville (Will Smith in the movie) is being captured by the Nightwalkers and he accepts his failure and moves on. Also, the 'Legend' name in the novel came frm the fact that Neville was immune to the infection caused frm the Virus (to be precise the Nightwalkers' bites). So, the Nightwalkers themselves looked upon to Neville as a Legend.

So, when I started to watch the movie, I was quite amused to see that they have changed the plot considerably. But, on a brighter side, it actually made the film better in a way that it had "hope" which lacked in the novel. Definitely a better idea for a feature film.

Coming back to reviewing it, first things first. The opening sequence is the best opening sequence for me this year. Hands Down. Manhattan never looked so lifeless, so lonely, and so devastating.

Note 1# Hands down one of the best Production Design of the year...

I will not delve to much into the plot to spoil it. I will discuss more on the technical aspect of the film which I actually understand more than the writing process

Note 2# Will Smith proves once again he is the biggest salable actor on earth....77.4M opening..phew!!

Note 2.1# Will Smith can act..and act pretty well...!!! Bravo...

Very few films actually portrayed the last man standing on earth so well. There was actually 2 more films made on this topic. The more popular among the 2 is 'The Omega Man' (1978 probably) and I have seen it. It wasn't a good film.

I must admit that for the first half of the movie, 2 things stand out...and stand out in a big way.

#1 The painful, inhuman loneliness of Will Smith.

#2 The Human-Animal bonding. Few films have actually captured the Man-Dog bonding as it is done in here. The plot helps as Sam (the dog) is the only other living character for the first half of the movie. Still, very impressive.

The rest of the movie is fight against the Nightwalkers and some twist and turns which I won't reveal.

But, there are 3-4 really well made shock (horror) scenes. Very neatly done.

Now, the flaw...

I found only one. The CGI of the Nightwalkers could and should have been better. They look almost staright out from the Computer Games

A little more flesh was the need of the hour

Overall:

I really liked the movie and whole heartedly recommend this to everyone. It a little change from the usual Hollywood/Bollywood movies also. And, it does raise a few questions which mutate in our minds long after the film is over.

300 - Movie Review

I have seen many movies. And, by many I really mean many. But, I have never ever got a sadistic pleasure in my entire life watching limbs getting chopped, people getting hacked. It is so fucking kool...!!! Watching people die never gave me such a high. Its like watching the best ever video game on celluloid.

Where shall I start? First and foremost I think, I must mention about the surrealistic world we are treated to. Its like a dream with stunning images which I thought only existed in paintings.

The film combines elements of the actual battle from 480 B.C. with other clashes between the mighty Spartans and the overwhelming forces of the Persian "god-king" Xerxes but the essence of the legend is intact.

Xerxes, at one point tried to rule all over the world. But, Leonidas, the King of Sparta and his handful (well...actually not) of 300 brave men fought to death to preserve the freedom for Sparta. Their effort provided inspiration for all Spartan soldiers to reunite and fight again.

On one hand, it is about the war of the Spartan against the Persians, on the other it is also how the Queen of Sparta, Gorgo, tries to make all the politicians in the Sparta Assembly understand that the action of Leonidas is just. To prove this, she even agrees to adultery with the traitor Theron who plots against Leonidas.

Gerard Butler as Leonidas, the King of Sparta is awesome. There isn't much of a scope of displaying histrionics here, but still he manages to impress.

One more thing. People might tend to think this is a GUY MOVIE. I beg to differ. Sure barring Gorgo, there isn't a single female character of importance, but Gorgo is the most powerful role after Leonidas. And the ever so pretty Lena Headey plays it gracefully. To make your presence felt in a movie like this is an impressive feat.

Rodrigo Santoro as Xerxes was however a little disappointing. With all his piercings, he looked more funny than menacing.

The love making scenes between Leonadis and Gorgo are like poetry. Shot so awesomely. The only love making scene so brilliantly shot, which I can remember, is in Fight Club.

The background music is simply out of the world. However, I personally would have liked heavy metal tracks played in background while the battle scenes are on. I don't know what the results would have been. But, I would have liked it for sure.

The cinematography and the special effects are so freaking awesome, that its better not to use an adjective to define them. When you watch the war scenes, the only sentence you say is "What the fuck?". Trust me, this time it means in a really good way ;)

To sum up, I think its a merge of Gladiator and Sin City. Well, the best parts of those two movies together will make 300.

Do yourself a favor. Go and watch 300. Your idea about films will definitely change.