Top Ranked Films of the Decade (Post 2000)

The top ranked films of the decade (2000-2009) based on our compendium of internet surveys.
AA = Academy Awards for best picture (winners missing are Chicago, A Beautiful Mind, and Crash, with 2009's winner yet to be awarded) The # shown is rank in the entire 1000.

1. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring [#84 - 2001] AA
2. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King [#97 - 2003]
3. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers [#144 - 2002]
4. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon [#152 - 2000]
5. Pan's Labyrinth [#154 - 2006]
6. The Lives of Others [#163 - 2006]
7. No Country for Old Men [#166 - 2007] AA
8. There Will Be Blood [#181 - 2007]
9. Wall-E [#182 - 2008]
10. City of God [#192 - 2002]
11. Pianist, The [#200 - 2002]
12. Yi yi [#223 - 2000]
13. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind [#227 - 2004]
14. Donnie Darko [#228 - 2001]
15. Slumdog Millionaire [#234 - 2008] AA
16. Ratatouille [#241 - 2007]
17. Spirited Away [#259 - 2001]
18. Million Dollar Baby [#265 - 2004] AA
19. In the Mood for Love [#272 - 2001]
20. Departed, The [#292 - 2007] AA
21. Finding Nemo [#298 - 2003]
22. Incredibles, The [#300 - 2004]
23. Letters from Iwo Jima [#339 - 2006]
24. Amélie [#345 - 2001]
25. Sideways [#358 - 2004]
26. Memento [#361 - 2000]
27. Bourne Ultimatum, The [#370 - 2007]
28. Oldboy [#378 - 2003]
29. Gladiator [#394 - 2000] AA
30. Lost in Translation [#395 - 2003]
31. Dark Knight, The [#397 - 2008]
32. 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days [#429 - 2007]
33. Diving Bell and the Butterfly, The [#442 - 2008]
34. Brokeback Mountain [#453 - 2005]
35. Children of Men [#457 - 2006]

36. Requiem for a Dream [#461 - 2000]
37. Y Tu Mamá También [#469 - 2001]
38. Gran Torino [#473 - 2008]
39. Mulholland Dr. [#476 - 2001]
40. Queen, The [#480 - 2006]
41. Downfall [#483 - 2004]
42. The Prestige [#485 - 2006]
43. Amores perros [#488 - 2000]
44. Talk to Her [#499 - 2002]
45. Sin City [#502 - 2005]
46. Wrestler, The [#506 - 2008]
47. Hotel Rwanda [#512 - 2004]
48. Batman Begins [#516 - 2005]
49. Kill Bill: Vol. 1 [#578 - 2003]
50. Into the Wild [#587 - 2007]
51. Class, The [#596 - 2008]
52. Snatch [#605 - 2000]
53. Mystic River [#611 - 2003]
54. Werckmeister Harmonies [#612 - 2000]
55. Moolaadé [#615 - 2004]
56. The Fast Runner [#618 - 2001]
57. Triplets of Belleville, The [#623 - 2003]
58. Waltz with Bashir [#632 - 2008]
59. V for Vendetta [#642 - 2005]
60. Bloody Sunday [#657 - 2002]
61. Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The [#666 - 2008]
62. Before Sunset [#667 - 2004]
63. Almost Famous [#675 - 2000]
64. Let the Right One In [#679 - 2008]
65. American Splendor [#680 - 2003]
66. Gosford Park [#683 - 2001]
67. United 93 [#686 - 2006]
68. Capturing the Friedmans [#690 - 2003]
69. Persepolis [#694 - 2007]
70. Best of Youth, The [#700 - 2003]
71. In Bruges [#708 - 2008]
72. House of Flying Daggers [#710 - 2004]
73. Man on Wire [#712 - 2008]
74. Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan [#713 - 2006]
75. Goodbye Solo [#716 - 2008]
76. Hurt Locker, The [#723 - 2008]
77. No End in Sight [#730 - 2007]
78. Changeling [#738 - 2008]
79. Once [#744 - 2006]
80. Crash [#750 - 2004]
81. Ghost World [#753 - 2001]
82. Tulpan [#758 - 2008]
83. Capote [#760 - 2005]
84. Kill Bill: Vol. 2 [#764 - 2004]
85. Time Out [#769 - 2001]
86. Big Fish [#771 - 2003]
87. Away from Her [#773 - 2006]
88. Chicken Run [#781 - 2000]
89. Little Miss Sunshine [#783 - 2006]
90. Nobody Knows [#791 - 2004]
91. L'Enfant (The Child) [#793 - 2005]
92. Traffic [#798 - 2000]
93. Gomorra [#805 - 2008]
94. Fog of War, The [#808 - 2003]
95. Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit [#815 - 2005]
96. Maria Full of Grace [#820 - 2004]
97. Fateless [#824 - 2005]
98. Tarnation [#834 - 2003]
99. Murderball [#837 - 2005]
100. Grizzly Man [#839 - 2005]
101. Marooned in Iraq [#847 - 2002]
102. To Be and to Have [#872 - 2002]
103. I'm Going Home [#883 - 2001]
104. In the Bedroom [#887 - 2001]
105. Ten [#891 - 2002]
106. Seraphine [#895 - 2008]
107. Russian Ark [#900 - 2002]
108. Deliver Us from Evil [#903 - 2006]
109. Under the Sand [#913 - 2000]
110. This Is England [#922 - 2006]
111. Son, The (Le Fils) [#926 - 2002]
112. Sweet Sixteen [#928 - 2002]
113. Flight of the Red Balloon, The [#944 - 2007]
114. Before Night Falls [#948 - 2000]
115. You Can Count On Me [#954 - 2000]
116. Children Underground [#961 - 2001]
117. Edge of Heaven, The [#964 - 2007]
118. Savages, The [#967 - 2007]
119. Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition, The [#970 - 2000]
120. Offside [#973 - 2006]
121. Los Angeles Plays Itself [#976 - 2003]
122. Knocked Up [#979 - 2007]
123. Turtles Can Fly [#982 - 2004]
124. Festival Express [#987 - 2003]
125. Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring [#991 - 2003]
126. Half Nelson [#996 - 2006]
127. Street Fight [#1000 - 2005]
128. About Schmidt [#1002 - 2002]
129. Last Letter, The [#1005 - 2004]
130. Love & Diane [#1008 - 2002]
131. Domestic Violence [#1009 - 2001]
132. Neil Young: Heart of Gold [#1012 - 2006]
133. Hedwig and the Angry Inch [#1022 - 2001]
134. Forbidden Lie$ [#1030 - 2007]
135. Atonement [#1038 - 2007]
136. Alexander [#1040 - 2004]
137. Host, The [#1045 - 2006]
138. 24 Hour Party People [#1062 - 2002]
139. Paragraph 175 [#1065 - 2000]
140. Circle, The (Dayereh) [#1069 - 2000]
141. Sound and Fury [#1072 - 2000]
142. Since Otar Left [#1074 - 2003]
143. Calle 54 [#1086 - 2000]
144. Christmas Tale, A [#1090 - 2008]
145. In the Shadow of the Moon [#1093 - 2007]
146. My Winnipeg [#1098 - 2007]
147. Man Without a Past, The [#1105 - 2002]
148. Royal Tenenbaums, The [#1134 - 2001]
149. Moulin Rouge! [#1186 - 2001]
150. Punch-Drunk Love [#1200 - 2002]

The Rings Trilogy is hard to argue with, certainly of the cinema events of our lifetime. Interesting that another romantic fantasy of mythic proportions follows that up in rank, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. There are many other foreign films here, but notably missing is Zhang Yimou's Hero (2002) - that's an all-time top 10 for me, and highest grossing film all-time in China . His House of Flying Daggers did make it (#72), an inferior but still enjoyable follow-up in the same style. The script of Hero is a rarity, a surprising and original story with unforeseen twists.

All the recent animated films are here: Wall-E, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Ratatouille, Chicken Run - all are terrific, along with the overlooked Cars.

The terrific German intelligence espionage film The Lives of Others is one of just five to win both the U.S. Academy Award and the BAFTA one for best foreign language film. It's similar to the Cannes Palm D'Or winner from Coppola, The Conversation, one of his and Gene Hackman's best ever.

I constantly find There Will Be Blood ranked amazingly high for me, which is good but just not that great (to be top 10); also Yi Yi, which I found artistic but so overlong that it became boring.

The excellent Italian mini-series The Best of Youth is here, so since those were eligible the riveting British bio-epic Longitude, with Michael Gambon, in perhaps his best role, and Jeremy Irons, is sorely missing. That's easily a top 20 candidate, notable for an intriguing script making seemingly boring history become an engrossing mystery of science.

Other notable omissions: Zodiac (#12 on critics poll below from Film Comment), Milk, The Visitor, The Fountain (another Aronofsky's gem, the only one of his missing here), Mr. and Mrs. Iyer (India), A Wednesday (India), Chicago (AA winner), A Beautiful Mind (AA winner, Cinderella Man (much better than Rocky), and if you're gonna include Punch Drunk Love, I thought 50 First Dates was even better, far more touching than you'd expect from any Adam Sandler film.

Film Comment's Top 150 Films of the Decade

From Film Comment magazine, critics poll for top 150 films of the decade (The Naughts or Naughties?)

Top 150 of the decade - my picks and comments (ignore at your own risk!) - Films highlighted in blue are "must see"

2- In the Mood for Love (Wong Kar-Wai), incredible color and cinematography as usual

10 - The New World (Malick), underrated Malick film, terrific music

12 - Zodiac (David Fincher), very good film, was amazed not a best pic nominee

18 - Elephant (Van Sant), eerie, haunting Columbine type high school story

25 - Talk to Her (Almodovar), good one, but where are Volver and All About My Mother?

30 - A.I.:Artificial Intelligence (Spielberg), was to be Kubrick's last but he died so Steven worked from his storyboards; perhaps a little too high

32 - Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Gondry), love this story from Oscar winner Charles Kaufman (Being John Malkovich)

33 - No Country for Old Men (Coen Bros), an understated masterpiece of a violent world

41 - 2046 (Wong Kar-Wai), sequel to In the Mood for Love is a futuristic SF romance, totally out of character for Wong

47 - Million Dollar Baby (Eastwood), probably his best film, the most haunting

73 - Lost in Translation (S. Coppola), Murray and Johanson's best, a tender romance

78 - The Departed (Scorsese), made Infernal Affairs (Hong Kong) in to a near Shakespearean crime tale

81 - Donnie Darko (Richard Kelly), this dark 'cult hit' fantasy takes inspiration from Harvey

91 - Gran Torino (Eastwood), another gem from Clint, attacking bigotry

96 - The Best of Youth (Giordana), actually an Italian mini-series, ambitious and unforgettable

106 - Wall-E (Stanton), an animated classic, should be far higher, like 6th

113 - Mystic River (Eastwood), murder mystery won Oscars for Penn and Robbins both; should be higher

123 - Black Book (Verhoeven), another ww2 resistance film from Paul, great story

124 - The Lives of Others (von Donnersmarck), terrific espionage film should be ranked far higher, like top 10; similar to Coppola's The Conversation

126 - Oldboy (Park Chan-wook), very innovative S. Korean crime classic, updates the genre

129 - The Incredibles (Bird), lotta fun, glad it made it

133 - Ghost World (Zwigoff) - interesting and bizarre tale, very unique coming-of-age story of alienation

139 - Memento (Nolan), incredible crime mystery is usually ranked far higher on polls, like top 30 all-time! this is genius level stuff..

Some entries are good films but ranked too high:

Mulholland Drive (at #1? c'mon)

Yi Yi (good but too long, too high at #3)

There Will Be Blood (ruthless, too high at #5)

The House of Mirth (good but not the best Wharton adaptation)

Why are these even listed at all?

Collateral (Mann), Kill Bill 1-2 (Tarantino, silly pastiches of real samurai films), Dogville (cold, way too high), Werckmeister Harmonies (slow, puzzling film in which the viewer has to provide any meaning), Punch-Drunk Love (I liked 50 First Dates a lot more for Adam Sandler, this didn't touch me at all), Assassination of Jesse James (cold film, not that memorable), Time Out (like watching paint dry)

Where the heck is ATONEMENT? winner of 7 BAFTA awards (and around 40 others), the Film Comment cover pictures the amazing teen actress Siorse Ronan, who was nominated for 13 international awards for Atonement, winner of 3, all for supporting actress. This should be in the top 10-20 for sure.. also one of Vanessa Redgrave's performances, onscreen about 7 minutes..

Where is Alexander Payne's comedy Sideways?

Chris Nolan's Batman Begins and The Prestige?

Other Omissions:

Almodovar's Volver and All About My Mother, Susanne Bier's After the Wedding and Brothers, War Photographer, God Grew Tired of Us (Quinn), Turtles Can Fly (Ghobadi), Mr and Mrs Iyer (Sen), Longitude (Sturridge), In Bruges (McDonagh), 13 Tzameti (Babluani)

A CHRISTMAS STORY Trivia Quiz

I thought on Christmas Eve that this would be a fun trivia quiz for fans of the Bob Clark comedy A CHRISTMAS STORY, based on (and narrated by) humorist Jean Shepherd's first book of his collected stories, "In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash".. [The book is told from the point of view of Shepherd, now an adult, visiting his old home town again, sitting alone in a bar and reminiscencing about his childhood there - the title is a sign on the bar's wall]

(1) what is Ralph's family name, and the street and town where they lived?

(2) name at least 3 items in the teacher's drawer where she puts the fake teeth, and her name?

(3) why does Flick lick the flagpole?

(4) who had yellow eyes and what was his toadie's name?

(5) why did Ralph's dad say he won the leg lamp prize and what country did he first think it was from?

(6) who was named Victor?

(7) what's the first present that Ralph opens?

Answers will follow in a comment, on Christmas...

OK - here are the answers, it's now 12/27..
1-The Parkers, of Cleveland St, Holman, Indiana
2- Miss Shields puts the fake teeth in a drawer which has chattering teeth, a slingshot, a yoyo, Slinky, rubber frog, fake mouse, Groucho glasses, and book called "Ace of Test Pilots"(with a rocket ship on the cover)
3-Flick has to lick the pole cuz he was "Triple dog dared"
4-Scut Farcus had yellow teeth and Grover Dill was his toadie
5-Ralph's dad won the lamp due to "mind power"
6-Victor was the Lone Rangers nephew's horse (newspaper quiz his dad was doing, "on American literary characters" - too funny - his mom replies "The Lone Ranger is literary?")
7-Ralph's first present was a pair of socks, then the pink bunny outfit from Aunt Clara

The only 'religion' I could spot, other than mom's forgiveness for his fight (and constant tolerance of 'men'), was the Salvation Army band playing carols in the beginning..

The most unusual thing was the constant intrusion of Wizard of Oz characters.. that seems more like a Halloween film, that was shown on Thanksgiving when I grew up..

The Parkers had their Christmas duck dinner at the Chop Suey Palace at the bowling alley! Our favorite Thai restaurant in CA was also at a bowling alley! of course, not the food inside the bowling alley (yikes!), but in a restaurant adjoining said alley..

The house exterior they used was in Cleveland (passing for Indiana, in the stories the house was on "Cleveland St", so there is a literary connection), the interiors were shot in a studio in L.A... the house in Cleveland was bought by a fan, on E-Bay (!), and he restored it like the film, including interiors. Film fans now make pilgrimages there, usually around Christmas time! There's a museum film across the street, with many of the original film props, plus you can buy the 'electric sex' leg lamps there!

2009 Golden Globe Nominations

Here are the Golden Globe nominations for film and television from the official Golden Globe website

All the usual suspects are there - film: Avatar, Inglorious Basterds, Up in the Air, the musical Nine, the animated Pixar classic Up.. TV is hardly changed from last year: Mad Men, Big Love, Dexter, House, 30 Rock, Entourage.. missing this year is Weeds, admittedly falling in quality since the first seasons..

I'll have to admit to becoming an addict of Mad Men - it has this lyrical, dreamlike quality that seems non-energetic and lacking action, but it's like long slow hypnosis.. the best acting on the show to me comes from the women, namely January Jones as Don Draper's wife, who does a lot with body language and facial expressions, especially the way she can smoke a cigarette with emotions displayed through that act alone.. and Elisabeth Moss as a secretary turned copywriter Peggy, who is a totally independent though young woman in a nearly all-male industry, the creative side of advertising.. and who "takes no guff" or oversight from anyone, including Don as her boss..

I also like Big Love and Dexter a lot - Big Love shows religious persecution as a way of American life, as the U.S. itself is attacking Mormonism due to self-righteous puritanical right-wingers who are determined to force us all to abide by their conventional method of worship, or else face the law and prison.. meanwhile, Dexter has done the nearly impossible: made people care for and enjoy a serial killer's self-styled justice, as he's a forensic expert for Miami police who kills murderers who manage to escape the legal justice system due to lack of evidence or the lax legal system, often providing more breaks for criminals than victims..

As for tv comedy, 30 Rock is easily the best network comedy in about two decades.. Tina Fey appropriately skewers her own network owner, GE, television itself, right-wing politics, ultra-wealthy capitalists, pop feminism, black rap stars, the bigotry inherent in conformity, and even prejudice against African-Americans, gays, hippies, and southerners and how they can often take advantage by playing their own "prejudice cards" (Tracey Morgan refuses to rehearse).. and is there a more vapid woman on tv than "Girly Show" star Jane Krakowski?

Sample 30 Rock quotes: (from Jane/'Jenna') - "my high school reunion! - I wonder if all my old friends will recognize me even though my face has changed naturally and not by anything I've paid to have done to myself?"

(from Alec Baldwin, as a GE exec) - on being friends with the postmaster general, "Well, yes, we were friends but had a falling out over the Jerry Garcia stamp - I mean, if I want to lick a hippie I'll start returning Joan Baez' phone calls"

She even had two episodes guest starring Mad Men's dashing Jon Hamm as her new beau, who was shown to live "inside the handsome bubble" (even with a bad hairstyle), and get preferential treatment everywhere they went due to his good looks.. when Alec Baldwin showed her a picture of his younger self as proof that he once "lived in the bubble", Fey exclaims "wow! - can I keep this picture for myself?" When the "Girly Show" added a high definition camera, Fey passed in front, and suddenly resembled the wicked witch in Oz, complete with warts and wrinkles, with everyone yelling "get off camera! move!"; gay page Kenny from Georgia became a bouncing, grinning Muppet; and Alec Baldwin suddenly resembled his 25 yr old, thin self, using old movie footage! Hilarious stuff.. Fey truly deserves all the awards she gets as 30 Rock's creator, head writer, and star..

Impeccable Irish actor Brendan Gleeson will hopefully add a GG award to his Emmy for his role as Churchill in "Into the Storm".. most of you saw Gleeson in the "killer comedy" about hit men stuck in a medieval city in last year's "In Bruges", with Colin Farrell - that film was carried by Gleeson, imo..

Some always terrific actresses are again nominated, any of these could easily win: Glenn Close, Helen Mirren, and Janet McTeer are always brilliant.. while overrated fan favorite Sandra Bullock is up for two film acting awards - what the heck were they thinking?

Other than Bullock, the only negative note to me is calling "The United States of Tara" a comedy - I find it hard to buy that any show about a schizophrenic with multiple personalities can be called amusing, humorous, or comedic.. especially distasteful was when her male personality, a redneck guy, beats up a high school boy outside a school play, who appropriately refuses to hit the mother of his classmate.. they call this "comedy"? yikes.. I'm very surprised that the usually tasteful Steven Spielberg is producing this show.. I much more admire the fact that Tom Hanks is producing Big Love and attempting to show how the U.S. has grown totally intolerant of non-conforming religions and is basically trying to eradicate them with opressive laws reminiscent of the medieval Catholic church.. "worship our way or face trial as a heretic" - this is a very scary direction into which we seem to be sliding.. haven't we learned anything from the sordid history of Europe?

Awards will be presented on January 17th, preceding the Oscar nomination deadline.

Wanted

Wanted (2008)

Genre:
Action | Adventure


Cast:
James McAvoy
Morgan Freeman
Angelina Jolie
Terence Stamp


Director:
Timur Bekmambetov

Wanted is based on a comic book miniseries created by Mark Millar. This action movie is directed by a Russian director, Timur Bekmambetov. Starring Angelina Jolie, Morgan Freeman, James McAvoy, and Terence Stamp.


Summary:
The storyline follows Wesley Gibson (James McAvoy), a cube-dwelling, frustrated office worker with a dull and depressing life. Until he crossed path with a hot female assassin named Fox (Angelina Jolie) and introduces him to The Fraternity, a secret guild of the best assassins being led by the enigmatic Sloan (Morgan Freeman).

As a new member of The Fraternity, he must undergo a series of physical tests and discover his special skills - which is similar to his father. Thru this, he could take revenge on his father's death who's once a member of the secret guild. It's his destiny to be part of The Fraternity but there some secrets that he must uncover about the guild in order to find out his own destiny.


"Working a niche somewhere between the black comedy of Fight Club and the ultrafashionable mayhem of The Matrix, Wanted is an experience that's hard to defend as a whole but mesmerizing in a highway-accident rubbernecking kind of way."
-from RottenTomatoes


Movie Trivia:

• James McAvoy undergo trainings to improve his physique for preparation for his role as Wes.
• James McAvoy suffered an injured knee and a twisted ankle during shooting.
• According to Angelina Jolie, she based her role in Wanted on Clint Eastwood.

Source: Internet Movie Database

Top Ranked Films From India

Top ranked films on the internet polls from India
Only ten in the top 1000, shame on western critics and poll respondents! That's only 1% of the top ranked films, when France has 148, or 14.8%?

[The first three films by Satyajit Ray are known as The Apu Trilogy; Ray has won 37 film awards and is considered to be India's most important director]

1. Pather Panchali [Ray, Satyajit; 1955] #32 - Drama
2. The World of Apu [Ray, Satyajit; 1959] #218 - Drama
3. Aparajito [Ray, Satyajit; 1956] #313 - Drama
4. Music Room, The [Ray, Satyajit; 1958] #438 – Drama
5. The River [Renoir, Jean; 1950, US-India] #453 – Drama-Romance
6. Charulata [Ray, Satyajit; 1964] #530 - Drama
7. Pyaasa [Dutt, Guru; 1957] #561 - Musical
8. Cloud-Capped Star, The [Ghatak, Ritwik; 1960] #594 - Drama
9. Kaagaz Ke Phool [Dutt, Guru; 1959] #846 - Musical
10. Pakeezah [Amrohi, Kamal ;1972] #885 - Musical
11. Mother India [Khan, Mehboob; 1957] #1029 - Drama
12. Days and Nights in the Forest [Ray, Satyajit; 1970] #1061 - Drama

There are far more Indian films to see than these few. The problem in the west is that even Ray’s Apu trilogy is not available here on dvd. Most of what is available are the new light Bollywood films that almost all feature 4-8 musical numbers with ready-made tv videos. Some of these are still quite enjoyable but won’t makes critics’ lists.

The Indian Film Academy Awards
Link to the International Indian Film Academy Awards

Here are the ones I’ve see that I would recommend that didn’t make the critics polls:

Salaam Bombay! – Mira Nair’s first feature film, made with funding aid from the governments of India and the UK, exposed street poverty there, and allowed Mira to open 4 orphanages with the profits, now numbering 17

Jodhaa Akbar – a historical musical costume epic romance (!), one of the most opulent and visually beautiful films ever made; based on the story of the first Muslim king of Hindustan (music by 2 Oscar winning A.R. Raman, who won for Slumdog Millionaire, see below) - just won 11 Int'l Indian Film Awards, incl. Best Picture

A Wednesday – a topical and brilliantly engrossing film about a modern terrorist in Mumbai, a computer hacker holding the police hostage

Bride and Prejudice – a light-hearted musical romance based on Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, updated to modern India, with a few songs and the most beautiful four sisters you’ll ever see on film, including former Miss World Aishwarya Rai (my choice for most beautiful woman in the world)

Veer-Zaara – a cross-cultural romance with a light first half, and a dramatic 2nd part, the story of an Indian rescue pilot, Veer, and a visiting Muslim aristocrat from Pakistan named Zaara; winner of 8 Int’l Indian film awards

Some more you may want to check out: Black Friday (terrorist drama), Guru (capitalist musical romance), Koi Mil Gaya and sequel Krrsh (E.T. type fun musicals for kids, based on Hindu mythology, but obviously not serious)

There are also some great western films about India
Gandhi – the Richard Attenborough bio of the legend; winner of 8 Oscars including actor for Indian born Ben Kingsley; this was a 19 yr project for actor Attenborough

Heat and Dust – the Ruth Jvabala award-winning novel transformed by her and director James Ivory into a beautiful romance starring Julie Christie in present day India, and Great Scacchi as her aunt in colonial India, linked through the aunt’s diaries

Slumdog Millionaire – UK director Danny Boyle’s popular and inspiring drama also won 8 Oscars, incl best picture, and 75 total awards (!). It seems to have been inspired by Salaam Bombay

Note: I'm compiling and will add a list of some fan recommendations from here and IMDB, which will provide about 20 more titles, so please comment with some more suggestions.

Update: Here are the Indian films recommended by other film fans so far; I'm sure it's predominately Hindi films because one group was listing their favorites of those at IMDB. I'll add to this as I find or get readers favorites. (*= at the top of someone's list)

3 Deewarein* (03)
Andaz Apna Apna (94)
Azam (97)
Chhoti Si Baat (75)
Company (02)
Dil Chahta Hai* (01)
Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayene (95)
Droh Kaal (94)
Gol Maal (79)
Hey Ram (00)
Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron (07)
K3G* (2001 - 22 awards, 43 nominations! Awards page at IMDB)
Kaante (02)
Khakhee (04)
Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (98)
Lagaan* (Indian Film Awards, best picture)
Lali Mucaj (not found at IMDB)
Maine Pyar Kiya* (89)
Mumbai Meri Jaan* (08)
Munnabhai M.B.B.S. (03)
Naseeb (81)
Parinda (89)
Prahaar (91)
Saathya (02)
Sarfarosh (99)
Satya (98)
Sholay

Int'l Indian Film Academy Awards - Best Picture (year of release)
2008 - Jodhaa Akbar (winner of 11 awards)
2007 - Chak De! India
2006 - Rang De Basanti
2005 - Black
2004 - Veer-Zaara
2003 - Kal Ho Naa Ho
2002 - Devdas
2001 - Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India
2000 - Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai

Top Ranked Films from the Rest of Europe

Taking the countries we didn’t list yet from the remainder of Europe, we have 32 more films mentioned, with 24 in the top 1000. Poland and Denmark had 6 each.

1. Ordet [Dreyer, Carl Theodor; 1955] #111 - Denmark
2. Ashes and Diamonds [Wajda, Andrzej; 1958] #114 - Poland
3. Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles [Akerman, Chantal; 1975] #146 - Belgium-France
4. Dekalog [Kieslowski, Krszystof; 1988] #237 - Poland
5. Gertrud [Dreyer, Carl Theodor; 1964] #276 - Denmark
6. Landscape in the Mist [Angelopoulos, Theo; 1988] #321 - Greece-France-Italy
7. Travelling Players, The [Angelopoulos, Theo; 1975] #418 - Greece
8. Closely Watched Trains [Menzel, Jirí; 1966] #427 - Czechoslovakia
9. 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days [Mungiu, Cristian; 2007] #430 - Romania
10. Breaking the Waves [von Trier, Lars; 1996] #449 - Denmark-Sweden-France-Netherlands-Norway
11. Day of Wrath [Dreyer, Carl Theodor; 1943] #488 - Denmark
12. Sátántangó [Tarr, Bela; 1994] #547 - Hungary-Germany-Switzerland
13. Loves of a Blonde [Forman, Milos; 1965] #553 - Czechoslovakia
14. Werckmeister Harmonies [Tarr, Bela & Hranitzky, Agnes; 2000] #611 - Hung-It-Gy-France
15. Once [Carney, John; 2006] #744 - Ireland
16. Daisies [Chytilová, Vera; 1966] #756 - Czechoslovakia
17. Firemen's Ball, The [Forman, Milos; 1967] #804 - Czechoslovakia
18. Fateless [Koltai, Lajos; 2005] #824 - Hungary-GY
19. Short Film About Killing, A [Kieslowski, Krszystof; 1988] #844 - Poland
20. Festen (aka Celebration) [Vinterberg, Thomas; 1998] #884 - Denmark-Sweden
21. Round-Up, The (Szegénylegények) [Jancsó, Miklós; 1966] #889 - Hungary
22. Europa [von Trier, Lars; 1991] #929 - Denmark
23. Edge of Heaven, The [Akin, Fatih; 2007] #962 - Gy-Tky-Italy
24. Mephisto [Szabó, István; 1981] #997 - Hungary
25. Man Without a Past, The [Kaurismaki, Aki; 2002] #1104 - Finland
26. Eternity and a Day [Angelopoulos, Theo; 1998] #1125 - Greece-Fr-It-Ger
27. Kingdom (Riget) [von Trier, Lars; 1994] #1193 - Den-Fr-Gy-Sweden
28. Red and White [Jancsó, Miklós; 1967] #1218 - Hungary-USSR
29. Maskerade [Forst, Willi; 1934] #1223 - Austria
30. Short Film About Love, A [Kieslowski, Krszystof; 1988] #1239 - Poland
31. Man of Marble [Wajda, Andrzej; 1977] #1246 - Poland
32. Kanal [Wajda, Andrzej; 1957] #1268 - Poland

Missing:

The Oscar-winning The Shop on Main St., a beautifully understated Czech film about the 'Aryanization' of Jewish shops, with a terrific performance by Ida Kaminska

Zelary - a terrific Czech film about an underground agent in WW2 who has to move high up in the mountains to escape; Oscar nominee for foreign film.

Kolya - a beautiful Oscar-winning story of an aging Czech bachelor who marries to help a Russian woman get citizenship, and who gets a terrific stepson named Kolya in the bargain; this would be #1 on this list for me, an all-time top 100 for sure. Written by the director's father who stars as the bachelor musician.

My favorite on this list is the Oscar-winning Mephisto, a brilliant study of an actor thanks to a remarkable performance by Klaus-Maria Brandauer (where was Oscar?), based on Klaus Mann’s (son of Thomas) novel of his brother-in-law's life, who was an actor in Berlin during the Third Reich.

Some of these should come with a warning, especially Jeanne Dilman, which is 3.5 hrs long, and shows Jeanne meticulously peel potatoes, prepare meat loaf, take a bath, and other everyday banalities, which was the point, I'm sure. It all leads up to an important character event, but that could have been done in 90 minutes instead, and you wouldn't want director Akerman's head. Bela Tarr’s Werckmeister Harmonies has some unforgettable scenes, with a giant whale and an angry mob with torches, yet its entire meaning must ultimately be provided by the viewer.

Our Emmy Choices for 2009

My Emmy Choices for this year's awards, for 2009
Telecast live, Sunday, Sept. 20th
Most Nominations: 30 Rock (22), Grey Gardens (17), Mad Men (16)

Updated with winners [looks like 5 of my 11 prime time choices won, and I'm happy for Chenoweth and Gleeson, both overdue] Here's the official Emmy winners at their site

Comedy Series: **WINNER: 30 Rock**
(1) 30 Rock (2) Entourage
[Flight of the Conchords wasn’t as good as year one. Same with Entourage, new chapters, same story. 30 Rock has maintained its sharpness and creativity each year. Witness this Baldwin quote, "The postmaster general and I had a falling out over the Jerry Garcia stamp.. I mean, if I want to lick a hippie I'll return Joan Baez' phone calls". rock, sex, and right wing humor all in one line.. now THAT is comedy!]

Drama Series: **WINNER: Mad Men**
(1) Mad Men (2) Big Love (3) Dexter
[Damages, likewise, a better year one but still engrossing and worthy; for some reason, I find Mad Men maddingly addictive, but all three of these are worthy candidates. You have to love Big Love, produced by Tom Hanks - you get all the viewpoints on polygamy and Mormans, who have always been 'under attack' from the repressive U.S. government. In fact, the first woman in the U.S. arrested for 'terrorism' was a Morman woman who bombed the feds, circa 1910?]

Lead Actor/Comedy: **WINNER: Alec Baldwin**
(1) Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
(2) Jemaine Clement, Flight of the Conchords
[This should be a Baldwin runaway, he’s brilliant in this, absolutely perfect timing for comedy. Jemaine doesn't act, but is kinda funny in a nerdy, perverted way]

Lead Actor/Drama: **WINNER: Bryan Cranston** - back to back
(1) Michael C. Hall, Dexter
(2) Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
(3) Jon Hamm, Mad Men
[Cranston is brilliant, a former Broadway musical star - deserved Emmys for Malcolm in the Middle, but he got his last year for this role. Hall deserves at least one for Dexter, he’s better in this than in Six Feet Under, and makes homicide enjoyable. Hamm is an Arrow shirt ad, circa 1955, but I think wife January Jones is the better actor]

Lead Actor/Miniseries of Movie:
I haven’t seen these but I love Brendan Gleeson (Into the Storm), he’s long overdue. You may know him from In Bruges with Colin Farrell last year. Kenneth Branagh and Ian McKellen are both nominated, and both Shakespearean, either would be a good choice.
**WINNER: Brendan Gleeson** - Yea!

Lead Actress/Comedy: **WINNER: Toni Collette** - this series bothers me, like when, as a man, she had a fistfight with a high school boy; they call this comedy? about a true schizoid person w multiple personalities?
(1) Sara Silverman, Sarah Silverman Program
(2) Mary-Louise Parker, Weeds
(3) Tina Fey, 30 Rock
[Mary-Louise is overdue for Weeds, but I have a crush on Sara Silverman, who was voted 50th in Maxim’s “hottest 100 women” poll. She said, "great position - I'm not so high that I have to maintain myself, but I'm ahead of 50 others that I can say I'm 'hotter than.." She also told “The Aristocrats” joke the most erotically in that film, and deserves something for that!]

Lead Actress/Drama: **WINNER: Glenn Close** - 2 for 2, she's just too good
(1) Glenn Close, Damages
(2) Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men
(3) Sally Field, Brothers and Sisters
[Close is perfect, and scary, but won last year. Moss is the best actor in a large and talented cast and is very understated. Field has won enough, and Hunter is a life-long favorite and from the same town in Georgia, Athens]

Lead Actress/ Miniseries or Movie:
I haven’t seen these but I love the underrated Chandra Wilson, from Grey’s Anatomy. She’s up against two former Oscar winners, in Jessica Lange and Shirley Maclaine, also Sigourney Weaver and Drew Barrymore.
**WINNER: Jessica Lange**

Supporting Actor/Comedy: **WINNER: John Cryer**
(1) Tracy Morgan, 30 Rock
(2) Kevin Dillon, Entourage
[Looks like Piven retired himself to give co-star Dillon a shot, but I get more laughs from Tracy Morgan myself, and this is comedy, not dramatic acting, Johnny Drama!]

Supporting Actor/Drama: **WINNER: Michael Emerson** - I hate this show, can't watch it
(1) John Slattery, Mad Men
(2) William Hurt, Damages
[both are just what the part calls for, Slattery is overdue for some award]

Supporting Actress/Comedy: **WINNER: Kristen Chenoweth** - they got this right, and she cried the whole time!
(1) Kristin Chenoweth, Pushing Daisies
(2) Jane Krakowski, 30 Rock
(3) Elizabeth Perkins
[Chenoweth is a huge talent, for both music and comedy; it’ll be a crime if she doesn’t get one award for the early cancelled but underrated fantasy. Krakowski is funny but I don’t see a lot of acting, same with Perkins & Poehler]

Supporting Actress/Drama: **WINNER: Cherry Jones** - 24 is still on? (hey, I have a "cherry jones" myself, esp. on ice cream)
(1) Chandra Wilson, Grey’s Anatomy
(2) Rose Byrne, Damages
[Chandra is overdue for an Emmy for this; she has a SAG Actor. Dianne Wiest is an old fave but has 2 Oscars already]

Supporting Actress/Miniseries or Movie:
I haven’t seen these but I love Janet McTeer, a best actress Oscar nominee as well, for Tumbleweeds.
**WINNER: Shohreh Aghdashloo** - a surprise winner from Iran, and she was truly gorgeous, wasn't she? one of the classiest winners..

Exceptional Merit in Non-Fiction Programming: (already awarded)
The Memory Loss Tapes, Shari Cookson and Nick Doob, producers
[This was brilliant, pt 1 of the Alzheimer’s Project for HBO, I was glad they won. This is the equivalent of "documentary", but AMPAS 'owns' that word, tv can't use it - how silly, eh? How can people get a legal hold on nouns, like 'windows' and 'apple'?]

There are some reality show awards, but I don’t care – they could lose all those, imo, and just show more live music and comedy from around the planet, that would be the best reality. Let's just mount cameras in all the blues, jazz, and other music venues around the world. I think we should also put cameras all over Tiger Woods' house, and pay him another 100 million a year..

Top Ranked Films from Brazil and Mexico

20 total (10 each), with 14 in the top 1000 (7 each). Ironic, that most Mexican films were directed by Spaniard Luis Buñuel, even one by a Russian, Sergei Eisenstein. [I'm using the IMDB country designations, which are often joint collaberations, just to get the financing]. These two countries had the most films listed in the the western hemisphere, after the U.S. and Canada.

Brazil
1. City of God [Meirelles, Fernando and Lund, Katia; 2002] #192 - Brazil-Germany-France [photo top] - Lund was a photojournalist with experience working in the slums that Fernando had assist him on this film, as this is based on the story of a young photographer who took pictures of the violence in this slum city.
2. Children of Men [Meirelles, Fernando; 2006] #458 - Brazil
3. Black God, White Devil [Rocha, Glauber; 1964] #528 - Brazil
4. Terra em Transe [Rocha, Glauber; 1967] #617 - Brazil
5. Antonio das Mortes [Rocha, Glauber; 1969] #668 - Brazil
6. Barren Lives [Dos Santos, Nelson Pereira; 1963] #752 - Brazil
7. Limite [Peixoto, Mario; 1931] #897 - Brazil
8. Black Orpheus [Camus, Marcel; 1959] #1124 - Brazil-France-Italy
9. Pixote [Babenco, Hector; 1981] #1237 - Brazil
10. Central Station [Salles, Walter; 1998] #1238 - Brazil

I'm a big fan of both Meirelles, City of God is a masterpiece, and Salles, whose Motorcycle Diaries is also excellent, but is listed as U.S., not Brazil, though Salles is from Rio de Janiero. I've yet to see the Rocha films, they are currently unavailable at Netflix. Black Orpheus is also a classic, a modernized myth, and should be ranked much higher, like the top 200. It's a rare combination of music and film that become so symbiotic they can't be separated.

Mexico
1. Pan's Labyrinth [del Toro, Guillermo; 2006] #154 - Mexico
2. Los Olvidados [Buñuel, Luis; 1950] #372 - Mexico
3. Exterminating Angel, The [Buñuel, Luis; 1962] #403 - Mexico
4. Y Tu Mamá También [Cuarón, Alfonso; 2001] #470 - Mexico
5. Amores perros [Inarritu, Alejandro Gonzalez; 2000] #489 - Mexico
6. El [Buñuel, Luis; 1953] #520 - Mexico
7. Que viva - Mexico! [Eisenstein, Sergei; 1932] #663 - Mexico-US
8. Nazarín [Buñuel, Luis; 1959] #1078 - Mexico
9. Criminal Life of Archibaldo de la Cruz, The [Buñuel, Luis; 1955] #1172 - Mexico
10. Simon of the Desert [Buñuel, Luis; 1965] #1214 - Mexico

I'm not a big fan of Pan's, though it did have some interesting special effects (in a kind of 50's way); but I found it mostly sensationalism without a lot of substance behind the imagery, and I can do without watching a man sew his torn up face together in a mirror. Buñuel, a surrealist who works without a script (and sometimes with Salvador Dali), does a lot of improvising, and is an acquired taste - many of his films will test your patience, which Exterminating Angel did for me. Viridiana (Spanish, the #1 ranked film solely from Spain) was much more interesting. Cuaron (Y Tu Mamá También) is one of the best young directors, and all his films are worth seeing.
Missing: Inarritu's Babel, which I found much more artistic and riveting than Amores Perros, which has some very disturbing dog scenes.

Top Ranked Films from Australia, Canada, and New Zealand

The top ranked films on the net from Australia (9), New Zealand (4), and Canada (13) from our survey of internet film polls. Out of the 26 mentioned, 23 made the top 1000, 11 from Canada.

Australia
1. Piano, The [Campion, Jane; 1993] #81 - Australia
2. Shine [Hicks, Scott; 1996] #574 - Australia
3. Mad Max 2, aka Road Warrior [Miller, George; 1981] #590 - Australia
4. Walkabout [Roeg, Nicolas; 1971] #672 - Australia
5. Picnic at Hanging Rock [Weir, Peter; 1975] #730 – Australia
6. An Angel at My Table, An [Campion, Jane; 1990] #737 - New Zealand-Aust-UK
7. Forbidden Lie$ [Broinowski, Anna; 2007] #1028 - Australia
8. Year of Living Dangerously, The [Weir, Peter; 1982] #1136 - Australia
9. Moulin Rouge! [Luhrmann, Baz; 2001] #1184 - Australia-US
[see bottom of this post for a list of Australian Film Institute awards for best picture]

Missing (they really shafted Australia in the polls):
Babe (Chris Noonan, 1995)
[This won 17 international awards, nominated for Best Picture, how can it not make any film polls? Produced by Road Warrior director George Miller]
My Brilliant Career (Gillian Armstrong, 1979) - energetic romantic adventure
Breaker Morant (Bruce Beresford, 1980) - terrific war story based on fact
The Proposition (John Hillcoat, 2005) – a gutsy western
The Last Wave (Peter Weir, 1977) - aboriginal folk tale of the apocalypse
Flirting (John Duigan, 1980) - insightful interracial love story, Nicole Kidman co-stars
The Man From Snowy River (George Miller, 1982) – not the same George Miller as above, another Aussie western
Australia (Baz Luhrmann, 2008) - enjoyable epic western romance, with some war thrown in as well

My own favorite Aussie films are:
Babe, Walkabout, The Road Warrior (a classic in mayhem), My Brilliant Career, Picnic at Hanging Rock, Flirting, The Piano, The Proposition, Shine, The Man From Snowy River
Update: add Animal Kingdom (2010)

New Zealand
1. Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring [Jackson, Peter; 2001] #84 - US-New Zealand
2. Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King [Jackson, Peter; 2003] #97 - US-New Zealand 3. Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers [Jackson, Peter; 2002] #144 - US-New Zealand
4. An Angel at My Table [Campion, Jane; 1990] #737 - New Zealand

Canada
1. Wavelength [Snow, Michael; 1967] #263 - Canada
2. Sweet Hereafter, The [Egoyan, Atom; 1997] #319 - Canada
3. Dead Ringers [Cronenberg, David; 1988] #355 - Canada
4. Atlantic City [Malle, Louis; 1980] #491 - Canada-France
5. Fast Runner, The [Kunuk, Zacharias; 2001] #620 - Canada
6. Videodrome [Cronenberg, David; 1983] #705 - Canada
7. Hart of London, The [Chambers, Jack; 1970] #711 - Canada
8. Région centrale, La [Snow, Michael; 1971] #725 - Canada*
9. Capote [Miller, Bennett; 2005] #760 - Canada-US
10. Away from Her [Polley, Sarah; 2006] #774 - Canada
11. Crash [Cronenberg, David; 1996] #984 - Canada
12. My Winnipeg [Maddin, Guy; 2007] #1096 - Canada
13. Barbarian Invasions, The [Arcand, Denys; 2003] #1207 - Canada*
* = in French, with subtitles

I think the last of these, foreign language Oscar® winner Barbarian Invasions, about a man dying of cancer with his family and friends around to send him off, is my favorite Canadian film (in French, with subtitles). However, The Sweet Hereafter (in English) is a minor masterpiece, imo, which also deals with death, as lawyer Ian Holm shows up in a small Canadian town to try to get them to seek justice after a fatal school bus accident. Atlantic City, with Burt Lancaster and Susan Sarandon, is Louis Malle's best to me, though it really feels like US film, another crime/noir story. Apparently, Wavelength is an experimental film designed to get people to leave the theater with noise, I don't know how it out-polled the more serious films.

Australian Film Institute Awards for Best Picture [only films produced in Australia]

2008 - The Black Balloon
2007 - Romulus, My Father
2006 - Ten Canoes
2005 - Look Both Ways
2004 - Somersault
2003 - Japanese Story
2002 - Rabbit-Proof Fence
2001 - Lantana
2000 - Looking for Alibrandi
1999 - Two Hands
1998 - The Interview
1997 - Kiss or Kill
1996 - Shine
1995 - Angel Baby
1994 - Muriel's Wedding
1993 - The Piano
1992 - Strictly Ballroom
1991 - Proof
1990 - Flirting
1989 - Evil Angels (aka. A Cry in the Dark)
1988 - The Navigator: A Medieval Odyssey
1987 - The Year My Voice Broke
1986 - Malcolm
1985 - Bliss
1984 - Annie's Coming Out
1983 - Careful, He Might Hear You
1982 - Lonely Hearts
1981 - Gallipoli
1980 - Breaker Morant
1979 - My Brilliant Career
1978 - Newsfront
1977 - Storm Boy
1976 - The Devil's Playground
1974/5 - Sunday Too Far Away
1973 - Libido: The Child
1973 - 27A
1972 - Stork
1971 - Homesdale
1970 - Three To Go: Michael
1969 - Jack And Jill: A Postscript
1968 - The Change at Groote / The Talgai Skull
1967 - Cardin in Australia
1966 - Concerto for Orchestra
1965 - The Legend of Damien Parer / Stronger Since The War
1964 - The Dancing Class / I The Aboriginal
1963 - The Land That Waited
1962 - Bypass to Life / Night Freighter
1961 - Not awarded this year
1960 - Three in a Million
1959 - Edge of The Deep / The Power Makers
1958 - Conquest of The Rivers / Hard to Windward

Top Ranked Films from China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan

Top ranked films on the net from China (7), Hong Kong (8), and Taiwan (8).

China
1. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon [Lee, Ang; 2000] #152 - China-Taiwan-US
2. Spring in a Small Town [Fei Mu; 1948] #674 - China
3. House of Flying Daggers [Zhang Yimou; 2004] #710 - China
4. Yellow Earth [Chen Kaige; 1984] #854 - China
5. Red Sorghum [Zhang Yimou; 1987] #918 - China
6. Flight of the Red Balloon, The [Hsiao-hsien Hou; 2007] #943 - China
7. King of the Children [Chen Kaige; 1987] #1179 - China

Hong Kong
1. In the Mood for Love [Wong Kar-Wai; 2001] #272 - Hong Kong-France [photo rt]
2. Raise the Red Lantern [Zhang Yimou; 1991] #303 - Hong Kong
3. Farewell, My Concubine [Chen Kaige; 1993] #456 - Hong Kong-China
4. Chungking Express [Wong Kar-Wai; 1994] #534 - Hong Kong
5. Killer, The [Woo, John; 1989] #709 - Hong Kong
6. Happy Together [Wong Kar-Wai; 1997] #1085 - Hong Kong
7. Days of Being Wild [Wong Kar-Wai; 1990] #1118 - Hong Kong
8. Fallen Angels [Wong Kar-Wai; 1995] #1147 - Hong Kong
[see bottom of this post for a list of the Hong Kong film award best picture winners]

Taiwan
1. Yi yi [Yang, Edward; 2000] #223 - Taiwan-Japan
2. Time to Live and the Time to Die, The [Hou Hsiao-Hsien; 1985] #501 - Taiwan
3. City of Sadness, A [Hou Hsiao-Hsien; 1989] #509 - Taiwan
4. Touch of Zen, A [Hu, King; 1969] #660 - Taiwan
5. Brighter Summer Day, A [Yang, Edward; 1991] #721 - Taiwan
6. Puppetmaster, The [Hou Hsiao-Hsien; 1993] #817 - Taiwan
7. Flowers of Shanghai [Hou Hsiao-Hsien; 1998] #895 - Taiwan
8. Vive L'Amour [Tsai Ming-Liang; 1994] #1062 - Taiwan

These are all worth seeing, Zhang Yimou and Wong Kar-Wai are among my favorite all-time directors, and Ang Lee never made a bad film in the east or west. [Of the Taiwan films, I've only seen Yi Yi] Two of Kar-Wai's best films were meant as one long film: Chungking Express, followed by Fallen Angels - together they inspired Tarantino's Pulp Fiction. Yimou's films got him the job of planning the ceremonies at the Beijing summer Olympics, which were mind-boggling.

Omissions:
Zhang Yimou's Hero, top-grossing film in Chinese history, exciting action and a terrific screenplay with a winding plot about assassins after the King of Q'in.
Zhang Yimou's To Live, grand prize winner at Cannes, a beautiful romantic epic about a Chinese family, covers about four decades in their lives.
Zhang Yimou's The Road Home, audience winner at Sundance, introduced Ziyi Zhang to the west; a story of a lifetime marriage from its beginnings, and the long road home at the end.
Ang Lee's Eat Drink Man Woman, from Taiwan; a delicious film about a master chef and his unmarried daughters.
Chien Kaige's The Emperor and the Assassin, a beautiful historical 'costume' epic with a twisty plot.
Wong Kar-Wai's Ashes of Time Redux - a re-edited version of his samurai film about a wine that makes one forget

© 2009, William L. Sinclair

Combining all the above as just China, we get this list:

1. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon [Lee, Ang; 2000] #152 - China-Taiwan-US
2. Yi yi [Yang, Edward; 2000] #223 - Taiwan-Japan
3. In the Mood for Love [Wong Kar-Wai; 2001] #272 - Hong Kong-France
4. Raise the Red Lantern [Zhang Yimou; 1991] #303 - Hong Kong
5. Farewell, My Concubine [Chen Kaige; 1993] #456 - Hong Kong-China
6. Time to Live and the Time to Die, The [Hou Hsiao-Hsien; 1985] #501 - Taiwan
7. City of Sadness, A [Hou Hsiao-Hsien; 1989] #509 - Taiwan
8. Chungking Express [Wong Kar-Wai; 1994] #534 - Hong Kong
9. Touch of Zen, A [Hu, King; 1969] #660 - Taiwan
10. Spring in a Small Town [Fei Mu; 1948] #674 - China
11. Killer, The [Woo, John; 1989] #709 - Hong Kong
12. House of Flying Daggers [Zhang Yimou; 2004] #710 - China
13. Brighter Summer Day, A [Yang, Edward; 1991] #721 - Taiwan
14. Puppetmaster, The [Hou Hsiao-Hsien; 1993] #817 - Taiwan
15. Yellow Earth [Chen Kaige; 1984] #854 - China
16. Flowers of Shanghai [Hou Hsiao-Hsien; 1998] #895 - Taiwan
17. Red Sorghum [Zhang Yimou; 1987] #918 - China
18. Flight of the Red Balloon, The [Hsiao-hsien Hou; 2007] #943 - China
19. Vive L'Amour [Tsai Ming-Liang; 1994] #1062 - Taiwan
20. Happy Together [Wong Kar-Wai; 1997] #1085 - Hong Kong
21. Days of Being Wild [Wong Kar-Wai; 1990] #1118 - Hong Kong
22. Fallen Angels [Wong Kar-Wai; 1995] #1147 - Hong Kong
23. King of the Children [Chen Kaige; 1987] #1179 - China


The Hong Kong Film Awards [complete list of best picture winners]

2009 - Ip Man (2008)
2008 - The Warlords (2007)
2007 - After This Our Exile (2006)
2006 - Election (2005)
2005 - Kung Fu Hustle (2004)
2004 - Running on Karma (2003)
2003 - Infernal Affairs (2002)
2002 - Shaolin Soccer (2001)
2001 - Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
2000 - Ordinary Heroes (1998)
1999 - Beast Cops (1998)
1998 - Made in Hong Kong (1997)
1997 - Comrades: Almost a Love Story (1996)
1996 - Summer Snow (1994)
1995 - Chungking Express (1994)
1994 - C'est la vie, mon chéri (1994)
1993 - Cageman (1992)
1992 - To Be Number One (1991)
1991 - Days of Being Wild (1991)
1990 - Beyond the Sunset (1989)
1989 - Rouge (1987)
1988 - An Autumn's Tale (1987)
1987 - A Better Tomorrow (1986)
1986 - Police Story (1985)
1985 - Homecoming (1984)
1984 - Banbianren (1983)
1983 - Boat People (1982)
1982 - Father and Son (1981)

Top Ranked Films from Russia-USSR

The top ranked films on our internet survey from Russia or the USSR; 34 total mentioned, with 23 in the top 1000. The top three are ironically silent films; the #1 ranked Man With a Movie Camera still looks modern today, featuring thousands of edits and creative camerawork to show one day in the Soviet Union.

1. Man With a Movie Camera [Vertov, Dziga; 1929] #78
2. Battleship Potemkin [Eisenstein, Sergei; 1925] #100
3. October [Eisenstein, Sergei; 1927] #222
4. Earth [Dovzhenko, Alexander; 1930] #249
5. Solaris [Tarkovsky, Andrei; 1972] #267
6. Andrei Rublev [Tarkovsky, Andrei; 1966] #282
7. Strike [Eisenstein, Sergei; 1924] #328
8. Ivan the Terrible, Part One [Eisenstein, Sergei; 1944] #357
9. Alexander Nevsky [Eisenstein, Sergei; 1938] #374 [photo rt - this features the ice battle on a frozen lake]
10. Mirror, The [Tarkovsky, Andrei; 1976] #382
11. Stalker [Tarkovsky, Andrei; 1979] #407
12. Ivan the Terrible, Part Two [Eisenstein, Sergei; 1946] #416
13. Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors [Parajanov, Sergei; 1964] #508
14. Come and See [Klimov, Elem; 1985] #559
15. Colour of Pomegranate, The [Parajanov, Sergei; 1968] #578
16. I Am Cuba [Kalatozishvili, Mikheil; 1964] #637
17. Ivan's Childhood [Tarkovsky, Andrei; 1962] #743
18. Storm Over Asia [Pudovkin, Vsevolod; 1928] #753
19. Tulpan [Dvortsevoy, Sergei; 2008] #758
20. Outskirts (Okraina) [Barnet, Boris; 1933] #801
21. Mother (Mat) [Pudovkin, Vsevolod; 1926] #855
22. Cranes Are Flying, The [Kalatozishvili, Mikheil; 1957] #874
23. Russian Ark [Sokurov, Aleksandr; 2002] #898
24. End of St. Petersburg, The [Pudovkin, Vsevolod; 1927] #1016
25. Alexandra [Sokurov, Aleksandr; 2007] #1042
26. Happiness [Medvedkin, Aleksandr; 1934] #1056
27. War and Peace [Bondarchuk, Sergei; 1967] #1077
28. Childhood of Maxim Gorky, The [Donskoi, Mark; 1938] #1120
29. By the Bluest of Seas [Barnet, Boris; 1936] #1135
30. Burnt by the Sun [Mikhalkov, Nikita; 1994] #1146
31. Slave of Love, A [Mikhalkov, Nikita; 1976] #1165
32. My Apprenticeship (Gorky Trilogy II) [Donskoi, Mark; 1939] #1173
33. My Friend Ivan Lapshin [Gherman, Alexei; 1984] #1199
34. Arsenal [Dovzhenko, Alexander; 1928] #1202

We lumped Russia and the USSR together. It's interesting that Ivan the Terrible, in two parts, was listed as one from Russia, one from the USSR. Many of these are terrific: all the Eisensteins, Man With the Movie Camera (deserves #1), Tarkovsky's Andrei Rublev, Ivan's Childhood, and The Mirror, the holocaust story Come and See, and the major league epic War and Peace, which is over 6 hrs, with 250,000 extras.

Missing: Gregori Chukrai's Ballad of a Soldier (1959), first Russian film distributed in the U.S., a beautiful b&w anti-war tale of a soldier's train journey home on a special furlough for heroism.

© 2009, William L. Sinclair

Top Ranked Films from the UK

The first list is just UK produced films, 92 total with 73 in the top 1000. The second list are multi-country projects which include the UK, 18 more mentioned with 11 of those in the top 1000. There are also 8 best picture winners.


UK (only)

1. 2001: A Space Odyssey [Kubrick, Stanley; 1968] #2
2. Third Man, The [Reed, Carol; 1948] #15 [photo rt]
3. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb [Kubrick, Stanley; 1964] #17
4. Lawrence of Arabia [Lean, David; 1962] #50
5. A Clockwork Orange [Kubrick, Stanley; 1971] #69
6. Bridge on the River Kwai, The [Lean, David; 1957] #85
7. Barry Lyndon [Kubrick, Stanley; 1975] #101
8. Kind Hearts and Coronets [Hamer, Robert; 1949] #117
9. Brief Encounter [Lean, David; 1945] #127
10. Red Shoes, The [Powell, Michael/Emeric Pressburger; 1948] #156
11. Great Expectations [Lean, David; 1946] #180
12. Brazil [Gilliam, Terry; 1985] #189 [photo rt]
13. Performance [Roeg, Nicolas/Donald Cammell; 1970] #202
14. Monty Python and the Holy Grail [Gilliam, Terry/Terry Jones; 1975] #224
15. A Matter of Life and Death [Powell, Michael/Emeric Pressburger; 1946] #280
16. Gandhi [Attenborough, Richard; 1982] #286
17. Lady Vanishes, The [Hitchcock, Alfred; 1938] #295
18. Don't Look Now [Roeg, Nicolas; 1973] #306
19. Repulsion [Polanski, Roman; 1965] #311
20. A Hard Day's Night [Lester, Richard; 1964] #332
21. Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, The [Powell, Michael/Emeric Pressburger; 1943] #334
22. 39 Steps, The [Hitchcock, Alfred; 1935] #346
23. Trainspotting [Boyle, Danny; 1995] #360
24. Peeping Tom [Powell, Michael; 1960] #369
25. Secrets & Lies [Leigh, Mike; 1996] #385
26. Henry V [Olivier, Laurence; 1944] #409
27. Black Narcissus [Powell, Michael/Emeric Pressburger; 1946] #412
28. Crying Game, The [Jordan, Neil; 1992] #415
29. Monsieur Verdoux [Chaplin, Charles; 1947] #422
30. Thief of Bagdad, The [Powell, Michael, Berger, & Whelan; 1940] #434
31. Odd Man Out [Reed, Carol; 1947] #478
32. Saturday Night and Sunday Morning [Reisz, Karel; 1960] #485
33. English Patient, The [Minghella, Anthony; 1996] #502
34. Man of Aran [Flaherty, Robert; 1934] #517
35. Kes [Loach, Ken; 1969] #526
36. If… [Anderson, Lindsay; 1968] #533
37. Local Hero [Forsyth, Bill; 1983] #535
38. Canterbury Tale, A [Powell, Michael/Emeric Pressburger; 1944] #536 [photo rt]
39. Providence [Resnais, Alain; 1977] #548
40. Mononoke-hime (anime) [Miyazaki, Hayao; 1997] #555
41. Servant, The [Losey, Joseph; 1963] #560
42. Listen to Britain [Jennings, Humphrey; 1941] #562
43. Shakespeare in Love [Madden, John; 1998] #563
44. Tom Jones [Richardson, Tony; 1963] #583
45. Life of Brian [Gilliam, Terry/Terry Jones; 1979] #599
46. Snatch [Ritchie, Guy; 2000] #605
47. I Know Where I'm Going! [Powell, Michael/Emeric Pressburger; 1945] #607
48. Distant Voices, Still Lives [Davies, Terence; 1988] #647
49. Lolita [Kubrick, Stanley; 1962] #650
50. Topsy-Turvy [Leigh, Mike; 1999] #661
51. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels [Ritchie, Guy; 1998] #673
52. Monty Python's Life of Brian [Jones, Terry; 1979] #675
53. Man Who Fell to Earth, The [Roeg, Nicolas; 1976] #678
54. Devils, The (of Loudun) [Russell, Ken; 1971] #684
55. In Bruges [McDonagh, Martin; 2008] #708
56. Man for All Seasons, A [Zinnemann, Fred; 1966] #715
57. Innocents, The [Clayton, Jack; 1961] #742
58. Overlord [Cooper, Stuart; 1975] #763
59. Get Carter [Hodges, Mike; 1971] #776
60. Chicken Run [Park, Nick & Lord, Peter; 2000] #781
61. Fires Were Started [Jennings, Humphrey; 1943] #800
62. Howards End [Ivory, James; 1992] #812
63. Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit [Park, Nick & Box, Steve; 2005] #815
64. Naked [Leigh, Mike; 1993] #870
65. Bad Timing [Roeg, Nicolas; 1980] #880
66. Fallen Idol, The [Reed, Carol; 1948] #886
67. Goldfinger [Hamilton, Guy; 1964] #901
68. Gregory's Girl [Forsyth, Bill; 1981] #906
69. Night of the Demon [Tourneur, Jacques; 1957] #917
70. This Is England [Meadows, Shane; 2006] #920
71. Chariots of Fire [Hudson, Hugh; 1981] #925
72. Fish Called Wanda, A [Crichton, Charles; 1988] #970
73. O Lucky Man! [Anderson, Lindsay; 1973] #972
74. Quadrophenia [Roddam, Franc; 1979] #1000
75. Love & Diane [Dworkin, Jennifer; 2002] #1006
76. Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, The [Richardson, Tony; 1962] #1030
77. Atonement [Wright, Joe; 2007] #1036
78. Hamlet [Olivier, Laurence; 1948] #1044
79. Tales of Hoffmann, The [Powell, Michael/Emeric Pressburger; 1951] #1053
80. A Room with a View [Ivory, James; 1985] #1067
81. Go-Between, The [Losey, Joseph; 1970] #1115
82. Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover, The [Greenaway, Peter; 1989] #1128
83. Excalibur [Boorman, John; 1981] #1157
84. Lavender Hill Mob [Crichton, Charles; 1951] #1186
85. Ryan's Daughter [Lean, David; 1970] #1189
86. Pandora and the Flying Dutchman [Lewin, Albert; 1951] #1194
87. Song of Ceylon [Wright, Basil; 1934] #1195
88. Pillow Book, The [Greenaway, Peter; 1996] #1196
89. Full Monty [Cattaneo, Peter; 1997] #1200
90. Accident [Losey, Joseph; 1967] #1226
91. Room at the Top [Clayton, Jack; 1959] #1231
92. Duellists, The [Scott, Ridley; 1977] #1259


UK Plus

1. Pianist, The [Polanski, Roman; 2002] #200 - Fr-Gy-UK-Poland
2. Blow-Up [Antonioni, Michelangelo; 1966] #244 - Italy-UK
3. Big Lebowski, The [Coen, Ethan and Joel; 1998] #386 - US-UK
4. Queen, The [Frears, Stephen; 2006] #481 - UK-Fr-Italy
5. Triplets of Belleville, The [Chomet, Sylvain; 2003] #624 - France-Belg-Can-UK
6. Man on Wire [Marsh, James; 2008] #712 - UK-US
7. Straight Story, The [Lynch, David; 1999] #745 - US-France-UK
8. Orlando [Potter, Sally; 1992] #907 - UK-Russia-France-Italy-Netherlands
9. Sweet Sixteen [Loach, Ken; 2002] #927 - UK-Gy-Spain
10. Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition, The [Butler, George; 2000] #968 - Sw-UK-Gy-US
11. Festival Express [Smeaton & Cvitanovich; 2003] #985 - UK-Neth
12. Eyes Wide Shut [Kubrick, Stanley; 1999] #1046 - UK-US
13. Leaving Las Vegas [Figgis, Mike; 1995] #1048 - US-UK-France
14. Last Emperor [Bertolucci, Bernardo; 1987] #1054 - UK-Italy-China-France
15. Paragraph 175 [Epstein, Rob & Friedman, Jeffrey; 2000] #1063 - UK-US-Germany
16. Tale of the Wind, A [Ivens, Joris; 1988] #1066 - UK-France-Germany
17. Sense and Sensibility [Lee, Ang; 1995] #1222 - US-UK
18. Sheltering Sky, The [Bertolucci, Bernardo; 1990] #1263 - UK-Italy

© 2009, William L. Sinclair

This is a great list of films, you can pretty much enjoy all the films of these directors: Stanley Kubrick, Michael Powell, Carol Reed, and David Lean - these all belong on any list of great directors. 2001, Dr. Strangelove, Lawrence of Arabia are all in my all-time top 10, and apparently many others lists as well. At Criterion's film club / networking site, The Auteurs, over 100,000 members have 2001 ranked #1, A Clockwork Orange #2, and Dr. Strangelove #5, so it's fair to say they rank Kubrick #1 for directors.

There are many offbeat classics on this list: Kind Hearts and Coronets, In Bruges, A Hard Day's Night, Brazil, Performance, The Servant, Shakespeare in Love, Local Hero, Black Narcissus, A Matter of Life and Death, Orlando. Probably the most glaring omission for me is Morgan: A Suitable Case for Treatment, a romantic comedy (which includes insanity and communism) from Karel Reisz with David Warner and Vanessa Redgrave as the ex-wife who drives Warner into gorilla suits and insanity.