tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8838733.post1457046438493654761..comments2024-03-25T21:14:21.671-04:00Comments on Listen Eggroll: Skandies Decade Recapmd'ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06055853987416332662noreply@blogger.comBlogger128125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8838733.post-47050976350411535412009-12-01T22:44:37.060-05:002009-12-01T22:44:37.060-05:00Other Anonymous: Here are the past Skandies Undist...Other Anonymous: Here are the past Skandies Undistributed lists.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.panix.com/~dangelo/skandies02.html" rel="nofollow">Undistributed of 2000 (conducted in 2002)</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.panix.com/~dangelo/skandies03.html" rel="nofollow">Undistributed of 2001 (conducted in 2003)</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.panix.com/~dangelo/skandies04.html" rel="nofollow">Undistributed of 2002 (conducted in 2004)</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.panix.com/~dangelo/skandies05.html" rel="nofollow">Undistributed of 2003 (conducted in 2005)</a> <br /><br /><a href="http://enchantedmitten.blogspot.com/2007/01/skandies-20.html" rel="nofollow"><br />Undistributed of 2004 (conducted in 2006)</a> (starts here and continues over ensuing posts)<br /><br /><a href="http://enchantedmitten.blogspot.com/2007/12/skandies-best-undistributed-films-2005.html" rel="nofollow">Undistributed of 2005 (conducted in 2007)</a> <br /><br /><a href="http://enchantedmitten.blogspot.com/2008/12/skandies-best-undistributed-films-2006.html" rel="nofollow">Undistributed of 2006 (conducted in 2008)</a><br /><br />Undistributed of 2007 (conducted in 2009): poll is presumably ongoing, look for results on this blog in about two weeks.Joshuanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8838733.post-42493235329209652182009-11-26T02:30:09.595-05:002009-11-26T02:30:09.595-05:00Upon giving the list a second glance, my eyes near...Upon giving the list a second glance, my eyes nearly popped out at Summer Phoenix. Really? I'm going to have to go back to <i>Esther Kahn</i>.reassurancehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17129227726045849803noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8838733.post-15047321167848545622009-11-20T03:18:08.179-05:002009-11-20T03:18:08.179-05:00I'm a different Anonymous, but would appreciat...I'm a different Anonymous, but would appreciate links to the undistributed list.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8838733.post-34254144742460854982009-11-18T19:45:04.188-05:002009-11-18T19:45:04.188-05:00I'm kind of weirded out by Anonymous's enc...I'm kind of weirded out by Anonymous's encomiums to Mike as a critic, given the whining about the absence of documentaries, avant garde films, etc. It suggests that he has not actually read anything by Mike and is just pumping him with praise as a debating tactic more than anything else.<br /><br />Certainly, anyone who is reasonably familiar with Mike's writing would never write such nonsense about MEMENTO (but I guess Mike basically said this already).Bilgenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8838733.post-88414095144393491922009-11-18T18:12:27.328-05:002009-11-18T18:12:27.328-05:00I would encourage "Anonymous" to look up...I would encourage "Anonymous" to look up the Skandies Undistributed polls, which are conducted annually to select the top films of two years prior that have not received a commercial theatrical release in New York. (For example, ballots will soon be due for the best undistributed film of the year 2007.)<br /><br />The undistributed poll voters are those voters in the regular poll who have seen enough undistributed films to choose to participate.<br /><br />Anonymous may find these lists more to their taste. If you need links to them, just ask.Joshuanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8838733.post-74311512059889655322009-11-18T15:34:45.246-05:002009-11-18T15:34:45.246-05:00I mean, Zero For Conduct and Flaming Creatures and...<i>I mean, Zero For Conduct and Flaming Creatures and Dog Star Man would never have made today's critics' lists of "best films" despite being revered now.</i><br /><br />I'm sorry but this sentence does not make any sense. Do they not teach grammar anymore at Troll Academy?Seussnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8838733.post-4470015178384891062009-11-18T14:57:57.435-05:002009-11-18T14:57:57.435-05:00Just for fun, I decided to look on the IMDb for th...Just for fun, I decided to look on the IMDb for the US grosses of my Decade's Top 10 films, caught in the grips of UFC champion Commerce's rear naked choke. Each is rounded to the nearest 5,000-dollar figure:<br /><br />MEMENTO: 25,530,000<br />GRIZZLY MAN: 3,175,000<br />CAPTURING THE FRIEDMANS: 3,120,000<br />LA PIANISTE: 1,900,000<br />DOGVILLE: 1,530,000<br />4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS AND 2 DAYS: 1,185,000<br />THE CHILD: 650,000<br />TIME OUT: 450,000<br />SONGS FROM THE SECOND FLOOR: 80,000<br />SILENT LIGHT: 50,000<br /><br />The grand total of those figures is $37,670,000, of which two-thirds was accounted for by a single film. The other nine grossed an average of not quite $1,350,000, and two of them grossed less than $100,000 — i.e., a rounding error in Hollywood.Victorhttp://vjmorton.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8838733.post-16225515884211039742009-11-18T14:08:27.446-05:002009-11-18T14:08:27.446-05:00why not take an opportunity to promote films based...<i>why not take an opportunity to promote films based purely on artistic merit?</i><br /><br />What makes you think any of us don't do that? Or shouldn't be offended by the implication we don't currently.<br /><br />I certainly *do* vote for what I think are the best films of the year/decade, and do so without any regard for box-office or popularity. That list will, of course, reflect my tastes and what I have seen or can see. And this will penalize certain types of movies -- those I don't see or can't stand (the two categories not being unrelated to one another).<br /><br />Only in Cloud-Cuckoo Land could my Decade Top 10 -- THE CHILD, TIME OUT, SONGS FROM THE SECOND FLOOR, two documentaries, and only one American fiction feature — be considered in the grips of the stranglehold of commerce.Victorhttp://vjmorton.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8838733.post-29984189216179207652009-11-18T11:07:46.308-05:002009-11-18T11:07:46.308-05:00Do you not understand, Anonymous, that EVERY year-...Do you not understand, Anonymous, that EVERY year- and decade-end list and poll is limited in scope, by necessity? There are, after all, only so many films that a person (even a professional film critic) can see in a decade. Do you really think the Skandies voters see every "avant-garde, festival-only, short, and documentary" film, and then write their lists thinking, "That avant-garde film was great, but since nobody's seen it I'm going to bump it for Memento 'cause it's on DVD"? It's not a critic's job to point out obscurities just for the sake of pointing out obscurities.<br /><br />This argument is inane.Robert Fullernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8838733.post-30778101192000396882009-11-18T07:41:16.279-05:002009-11-18T07:41:16.279-05:00Hey, Anonymous, which films would you consider the...Hey, Anonymous, which films would you consider the best of the year? If you're so concerned about promoting obscurities to the uninformed, now's your opportunity. Go!<br /><br /><i>[The crowd swells with anticipation.]</i>Rogernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8838733.post-54350854759087468072009-11-18T00:36:35.988-05:002009-11-18T00:36:35.988-05:00... why not take an opportunity to promote films b...<i>... why not take an opportunity to promote films based purely on artistic merit?</i><br /><br />Seriously?<br /><br />So you're actually alleging that the Skandies ballots are incontrovertibly the result of a group of folks dedicated to:<br /><br />a) Validating their own self-image via their selections, and <br />b) Promoting "mainstream" fare so as to uphold cinema as a commercial enterprise,<br /><br />and not:<br /><br />c) Choosing submissions based on what they thought were among the decade's most meaningful movies?<br /><br />And you conclude all of this solely because "mainstream" choices like <i>Yi Yi</i> and <i>Werckmeister Harmonies</i> were represented over such unnamed but deserving "underground" films? Please.Jhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16245395941791742258noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8838733.post-63078039630915549202009-11-17T23:55:58.472-05:002009-11-17T23:55:58.472-05:00Before Mike responds again (if he does indeed repl...Before Mike responds again (if he does indeed reply), I just want to: A) apologize for the unnecessary snark and B) admit that I'm venting largely because of the "genre" homogeneity of year-end and decade lists.<br /><br />Again, it shouldn't matter whether many people have seen the films. As Nictate points out, Dogville is a total obscurity to most people. I understand that when writing for mainstream media publications, film writers have to keep in mind what is actually available for public viewing, but in a series like the Skandies, why not take an opportunity to promote films based purely on artistic merit? Doesn't commerce have enough of a stranglehold on the medium already?<br /><br />Lemme put it this way. I listen to a lot of indie rock. I love it. But I'm upset that almost every Best Of list from "expert" critics consists of 90% indie rock/electronica...plus the token hip-hop or country album (which is usually something fairly mainstream anyway, e.g. Lil Wayne/Miranda Lambert). I find it hard to believe that little to no jazz or classical or "world music" albums belong on a Top __ of the Year/Decade list. <br /><br />Anyway, that is all.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8838733.post-63209185376046989332009-11-17T20:53:01.461-05:002009-11-17T20:53:01.461-05:00Believe it or not, Anonymous, to "wider audie...Believe it or not, Anonymous, to "wider audiences," many of the films on this decades list qualify as obscurities.<br /><br />For instance, it took me *years* to convince a very culturally literate friend of mine to see Dogville. Even though The Hurt Locker (while not on this list, still a useful example) got a decent release, everyone I've raved about it to (coworkers, friends, family) has never even heard of it.<br /><br />The benefit of a list like this that doesn't deep-dive into arcana is that it serves as a bridge to that wider audience -- introducing them to challenging, beautiful, intelligent fare that either wasn't on their radar or that they were too intimidated to seek out on their own. With some good experiences in that realm under their cinema-viewing belts, they're then bumped that much closer to being ready to appreciate the obscurities you're longing to see listed.Nictatehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12174200071752059810noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8838733.post-85330098807495837722009-11-17T18:23:48.645-05:002009-11-17T18:23:48.645-05:00"This was always going to be a catalogue of (..."This was always going to be a catalogue of (some of) the decade's most notable films, not a collection of obscurities that have been seen by a total audience numbering in the hundreds."<br /><br />Umm, isn't that a bit of circular logic? Those films will remain obscurities because critics like yourself refuse to point them out to wider audiences. <br /><br />Mike D'Angelo: "Safe, Conventional, and Proud of It."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8838733.post-41086465345255526682009-11-17T16:12:47.885-05:002009-11-17T16:12:47.885-05:00Oh, Mike, don't you understand? Nothing is any...Oh, Mike, don't you understand? Nothing is any good if other people like it!Indie Rock Petehttp://dieselsweeties.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8838733.post-71720548914978841862009-11-17T03:47:26.523-05:002009-11-17T03:47:26.523-05:00I meant that all the movies you picked are listed ...<i>I meant that all the movies you picked are listed on Metacritic -- i.e. only feature-length narrative films that have received some sort of distribution in the US.</i><br /><br />Well duh. For one thing, only feature-length films were eligible in the first place—I consider the short a separate medium, more or less. (By the same token, most music lists don't combine singles and albums.) And films that weren't distributed in the U.S. were far less likely to be seen by enough voters to place, given that most of them are civilians who may or may not attend one festival per year. <br /><br />Beyond that, I think you'd have to work pretty hard to find <i>any</i> group of 35 or so people who had seen and loved, I dunno, Klahr's <i>Antigenic Drift</i> or whatever. I mean, they're out there, but you'd have to deliberately assemble them with that result in mind. Not my personal intention here. This was always going to be a catalogue of (some of) the decade's most notable films, not a collection of obscurities that have been seen by a total audience numbering in the hundreds.<br /><br /><i>I just find it hard to reconcile your excellent critical skills with the somewhat fanboyish and/or trendy films-du-jour you choose to spend them on. I mean, do you really think we'll look back on Memento and 25th Hour as defining works of human expression? God, I hope not.</i><br /><br />I have no idea what posterity will think of those films, but I do in fact consider them two of the aughts' ten best. <i>Memento</i> I would rank among the 10 or 20 greatest films ever made; it remains the only film I've called a masterpiece in print since becoming a professional critic. Again, I'm on record as to why, in multiple places, and it's hardly for fanboyish or trendy reasons—I think Nolan is working at a level of philosophical profundity that puts almost every other working writer-director to shame. You're welcome to disagree, but I don't appreciate the condescension.md'ahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06055853987416332662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8838733.post-54756487444863818802009-11-17T03:22:55.464-05:002009-11-17T03:22:55.464-05:00Mike,
1) I didn't mean that "Best Of Met...Mike,<br /><br />1) I didn't mean that "Best Of Metacritic" remark in the way you think it did. I meant that all the movies you picked are listed on Metacritic -- i.e. only feature-length narrative films that have received some sort of distribution in the US. <br /><br />Why is that a nitpick? Because that leaves out a shit ton of films. The Skandies List demonstrates a GLARING lack of avant-garde, festival-only, short, and documentary films. I'm not even saying that I know better or have better taste than you. But as a film critic, I think it's your job to tell us what you think are the best/most interesting films -- period. <br /><br />I mean, Zero For Conduct and Flaming Creatures and Dog Star Man would never have made today's critics' lists of "best films" despite being revered now. I realize that not everyone is Michael Sicinski (lord knows, I'm not), so maybe you don't watch a ton of those "underground" films, but you should have the humility to admit that your list is very limited in scope. Just as I have the humility to admit that I'm no classical or hip-hop expert when I'm making "best of" music lists with my friends.<br /><br />2) My "college sophomore" crack was pretty sophomoric. I just find it hard to reconcile your excellent critical skills with the somewhat fanboyish and/or trendy films-du-jour you choose to spend them on. I mean, do you really think we'll look back on Memento and 25th Hour as defining works of human expression? God, I hope not.<br /><br />Btw, I love a lot of your picks. I just find it unsettling that a quality film critic such as yourself doesn't have any more of a broad and challenging a palette as an average part-time cinephile (like me). Critics should be challenging and improving readers' tastes and habits, not confirming existing ones.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8838733.post-47057164988636562602009-11-17T00:41:45.308-05:002009-11-17T00:41:45.308-05:00This reads like "The Best Of Metacritic."...<i>This reads like "The Best Of Metacritic."</i><br /><br />Uh, no. Here are the highest-ranked films on Metacritic from the period in question:<br /><br />01. Pan's Labyrinth<br />02. 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days<br />03. Ratatouille<br />04. 35 Shots of Rum<br />05. Spirited Away<br />06. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King<br />07. Sideways<br />08. The Hurt Locker<br />09. WALL•E<br />10. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon<br />11. Yi Yi (A One and a Two...)<br />12. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly<br />13. The Class<br />14. There Will Be Blood<br />15. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring<br />16. Werckmeister Harmonies<br />17. Moolaadé<br />18. Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner<br />19. The Triplets of Belleville<br />20. The Queen<br /><br />Total overlap: 3 films. And two of the three are by those notable mainstream filmmakers Béla Tarr and Edward Yang. Meanwhile, Skandie finalists achieved such legendary scores as 59 (<i>Dogville</i>), 54 (<i>Gerry</i>), 69 (<i>The New World</i>), 67 (<i>25th Hour</i>), 51 (<i>Irreversible</i>) and 36 (<i>Trouble Every Day</i>).<br /><br />You're welcome to think our taste sucks—and to say so anonymously, without providing any indication of which films you believe would be deserving—but this is hardly a rubber-stamp list. <br /><br />Also, I'm bewildered by this nonsense:<br /><br /><i>"OMG did you see the new Wes Anderson! <br />"Yah bro! So quirky and hilarious!"<br />"Wait. Did you see Memento?!"<br />"It's even better if you're HIGH!"<br />"Totally!"</i><br /><br />Actually never mind. I was gonna say something in response, but I think just repeating it suffices. I've written extensively about Anderson and Nolan for <i>Esquire</i>; if you've read those pieces and still think the above a fair characterization, I don't need your compliments, thanks.md'ahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06055853987416332662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8838733.post-36120069424769073472009-11-16T19:24:18.947-05:002009-11-16T19:24:18.947-05:00This reads like "The Best Of Metacritic."...This reads like "The Best Of Metacritic." A nice summary of middle-brow, Indiewood- and Cannes-centric criticism, but no way to go about appreciating cinema as art. Or even challenging entertainment. <br /><br />You're a great writer, Mike, but you and your colleagues' tastes make me think you guys are still college sophomores. <br /><br />"OMG did you see the new Wes Anderson! <br />"Yah bro! So quirky and hilarious!"<br />"Wait. Did you see Memento?!"<br />"It's even better if you're HIGH!"<br />"Totally!"Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8838733.post-14782491288640533732009-11-16T03:38:37.946-05:002009-11-16T03:38:37.946-05:00My apologies if it was brought up previously, but ...My apologies if it was brought up previously, but no Best Scene of the Decade?D. Rockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13031783067675415912noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8838733.post-34369155156286632009-11-10T01:56:11.290-05:002009-11-10T01:56:11.290-05:00For the sake of the folks that skip to the bottom ...For the sake of the folks that skip to the bottom of end-user license agreements, FAQ's, and other publications whose text is of a generally intimidating length, I will summarize the gist of the participants' positions, both of whom are absolutely correct.<br /><br />M'DA<br /><i>Sky High</i> is awesome.<br /><br />RYAN<br />Even frogs liked <i>Rashomon</i>.Jhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16245395941791742258noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8838733.post-26213140247126881522009-11-09T23:25:16.503-05:002009-11-09T23:25:16.503-05:00Excerpts from THE SIX COMMANDMENTS OF THE CHURCH O...Excerpts from THE SIX COMMANDMENTS OF THE CHURCH OF THE ANTICHRIST<br />by Larry Gross<br />Film Comment, September/October 2009<br /><br />"Von Trier, who’s made more great or near-great films than any European director under 60 except Almodóvar, does a perfect imitation of a fake."<br /><br />"Von Trier was obviously venturing beyond himself and into masterpiece territory in Dogville with the introduction of the Paul Bettany character, whose mixture of tenderness and cruelty, intelligence and myopia, altruism and egotism, strongly implicates us in a way no other masculine figure in the director’s work ever had done before. Unlike any other von Trier film, Dogville incorporates the image of a believable masculine norm that might conceivably link up with feminine spiritual power and grace. The subsequent collapse of that alliance is excruciatingly sad, granting Dogville a depth and universality unique in von Trier’s films."Nictatehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12174200071752059810noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8838733.post-43553483248963131262009-11-07T14:33:23.652-05:002009-11-07T14:33:23.652-05:00my fondness for ass) tends to center on his 80s an...<i>my fondness for ass) tends to center on his 80s and 90s output than his aughts output.</i><br /><br />I do not know bud. Kidman, Howard, and Gainsbourg -- that is some pretty tough to beat ass. Better than this<br /><br />http://tinyurl.com/yeznauk<br /><br />in my opinion.<br /><br />(Sorry female readers.)Skanderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12385467063868873824noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8838733.post-90318181776891965212009-11-07T12:42:51.953-05:002009-11-07T12:42:51.953-05:00OK, so now the rabid Cannes crowd reaction to DOGV...<i>OK, so now the rabid Cannes crowd reaction to DOGVILLE has been blamed on world politics, closing credit editing shifts, David Bowie, Lars' middle finger and a dead in the water competition slate. Mkay.</i><br /><br />Well, as far as I'm concerned, I <i>did</i> add that the fact that it was also a great movie was one of the elements contributing to said rabid response. And my point was specifically in comparison to the not-as-rabid-but-still-enthusiastic (reportedly) responses to other decade-defining films like ASS.<br /><br /><i><br />And, by the way, no one who would consider sliding more points to ItMfL at this point could really be Lars' Biggest Fan in America, so I WIN!</i><br /><br />This is probably true, alas, since my fondness for L'Arse (as opposed to my fondness for ASS, or for that matter my fondness for ass) tends to center on his 80s and 90s output than his aughts output. I mean, after THE KINGDOM touched me in places where I don't like to be touched, a certain numbness occurred.Bilgenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8838733.post-49567260006973552722009-11-06T20:37:15.211-05:002009-11-06T20:37:15.211-05:00I personally think Sky High is a much better film ...<i>I personally think Sky High is a much better film than (let's change the other one to something I really dislike) The Death of Mr. Lazarescu, I would still look funny at a group that claimed Sky High was one of the decade's greatest achievements</i><br /><br />Probaly this is due to your shaky sense of self-worth.<br /><br />Seriously bud you are starting to make my head hurt in my opinion. I am but a simple man, who when I see a picture I like represented on a pole I think "Good job buds." End of story. Why does it have to be any more complicated than that.<br /><br /><i>Seems like this is all about maintaining street cred for the Skandies among the film nerd culture.</i><br /><br />Good job vornporn getting to the hart of the matter.Skanderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12385467063868873824noreply@blogger.com