Читать книгу The Film Buff's Bucket List - Chris Stuckmann - Страница 2

Оглавление

Published by Mango Media Inc.

Cover Design: Elina Diaz

Cover Border Art by Matthew Brando

Interior Design, Theme and Layout: Elina Diaz

ISBN 978-1-63353-094-2

Theaters around the world are dominated by comic book heroes, ice princesses, apocalyptic love-struck teens, and whatever masterpiece Pixar is rolling out. It’s clear that cinema is as healthy as ever. Oscar-worthy directors, indie geniuses and foreign artists are creating stunning, boundary-pushing work. Since the turn of the century, movie lovers have been enjoying a second golden age. But which films are the best of the best? What are the top movies since 2000 to see before you die? Chris Stuckmann, one of YouTube’s most popular film reviewers gives us his best of the best! In his book debut, Stuckmann delivers his list of the very best 50 Movies since 2000 – with that style and punch that YouTube viewers have come to love. These are the films you must see before you die.

Dedication:

To my parents, for trying to understand my passion.

To my wife, for that push I need to pursue it.

To my friends, for inspiring me to follow it.

And to you, for actually caring.

“A celebration of movie love, by a lover of movies, for the lovers

of movies. Equal parts fun & insightful.”

Jeremy Jahns, YouTube Movie Reviews

Foreword

Scott Mantz

Film Critic for Access Hollywood

“Get Stuckmannized!”

Over the course of my 15-year career as the resident film critic and film correspondent for Access Hollywood, I’ve had many high points: interviewing Tom Cruise in Vienna in support of Mission: Impossible– Rogue Nation; sharing my Star Trek bar mitzvah photo album with Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto during the London junket for Star Trek Into Darkness; interviewing Ringo Starr on his 75th birthday while wearing one of my (many!) Beatles tee shirts; being recognized by Drew Barrymore, who saw my film reviews on the little TVs in the back of NYC taxis; and the chance to discover so many independent gems while covering the Sundance, Toronto and Telluride film festivals.

But, without question, the highest point of them all was when my good friend and very respected film critic Chris Stuckmann asked me to write the foreword for his new book about the 50 best movies of the last 15 years.

But I’m getting ahead of myself here. I can’t talk about Chris without telling my own backstory of how I became a film critic.

When I grew up in Philadelphia, movies were my passion. I was introduced to celluloid heroes at a very young age, thanks to my forward-thinking parents, who took me to see very grown-up movies like Jaws, Taxi Driver, Rocky, Foul Play, Star Wars, The Spy Who Loved Me and Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

What the hell were they thinking? Taxi Driver? I was 7-years-old, for cryin’ out loud!

But that’s where my passion for film was born. I was never much of a sports fan. I was bored to tears watching sports, and I sucked in my brief attempts to play them. It was a hard time for me, because my dad, my brother and all my friends were downright sports fanatics. I became something of a loner, so while they were watching the big games or playing two-touch football or wiffle ball in the cul-de-sac, I would ride my bike to the local theaters, where I continued my cinematic education. It was a glorious time, thanks to then-new releases like Alien, Apocalypse Now, Raging Bull, The Empire Strikes Back, The Shining, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and the movie that would become my all-time favorite: Blade Runner.

As I grew older, my love for film knew no bounds. I saw and read everything I could about the greatest filmmakers of all time. But making a living in the movie business was something that never occurred to me. Movies were a hobby– a big hobby, but nothing more. So when it came time to choose a major while studying as an undergrad at Penn State University, I did what any clueless teenager with an accountant for a father might have done. I majored in accounting. And I hated every friggin’ minute of it.

Okay, long story short: It turned out to be a blessing in disguise, because I got a job as a financial controller at an entertainment marketing company and I moved to Los Angeles in December of 1991. After a few years there, I started writing film reviews in 1998 for a bunch of entertainment news websites that don’t even exist anymore: Big Time Hollywood, Entertainment Insiders, The Mediadrome, and a few others that I really can’t remember the names of.

But I found my calling, and those reviews helped me get a very good gig at Access Hollywood, where I learned the ropes as a producer while honing my skills as a film critic. It was during this time that I realized how much film critics were becoming an endangered species. While the Internet gave a voice to a lot of aspiring critics, it also put paid critics on the line, since so many up-and-comers were doing it for free. Unless critics were already established, like Roger Ebert and Peter Travers, the prospect of making a good living as a critic was becoming a thing of the past – that is, unless someone found a way to take advantage of the new online frontier while staying true to what the great critics were all about.

That’s where Chris Stuckmann came in. When I first discovered his YouTube channel, which currently has more than 500,000 subscribers (and counting), I was immediately captivated by how articulate, passionate, fun, smart and entertaining his reviews were. Whether he loved a film, just sort-of liked it or downright hated it, he still spoke about it with an incredible amount of respect for the craft. His “man cave,” where he shoots his reviews, is packed to the rim with movie posters, memorabilia, action figures, DVDs and Blu-rays – so, yes, it looked just like my “man cave.” He was also a dashing young fellow who could give Tom Cruise a run for his money in the good-looks department.

No one else was doing what he was doing, and if they tried, they certainly weren’t doing it the way he did it. I became an instant fan.

In short, I was Stuckmannized!

And as you will see in the pages that follow, he’s also a damn good writer. He knows his stuff, and he writes about movies in a way that’s easily accessible and extremely intelligent for both film buff and casual movie lovers. If there was ever a book about movies that qualifies as a page-turner, then the one you’re holding in your hot little hands is it.

And being asked by my own favorite film critic to write the foreword for his very first book (hopefully of many) was not just an honor, but also a high point of my own career. Now, as you can imagine, critics don’t always see eye-to eye, and sometimes it’s more fun when they don’t. But I sure do agree with most of the 50 reviews you’ll read here, and they’re all so passionately well-written that I could feel myself getting Stuckmannized on a whole new level.

- Scott Mantz

Introduction

Chris Stuckmann

Author

The screen.

Why do we go to the movies? Why do we sit in dark rooms, digging our fingers into popcorn buckets, hoping for transport to another world?

I recall watching a particularly good film earlier this year in a packed theater. I glanced about briefly and saw a couple hundred heads, all transfixed by the screen. For most, it’s like peering into a parallel universe, a place where their problems don’t exist. But for a very select few, it’s not just about escapism, it’s about searching. These people seek something more meaningful, they want to be inspired, changed, altered. They’re looking for that moment when a film touches them so deeply, it’s like it was playing specifically for them.

I remember that moment in my life. It was a warm Ohio day (August 2nd, 2002 to be exact). My mother and I went to a small town theater that’s since been demolished. Plaza 8 at Chapel Hill. I’ll never forget that place. The film my mother took me to was Signs, directed by M. Night Shyamalan. Since it was late summer, there was a sense that fun was winding down. School would be starting soon and I wanted to squeeze every last drop out of my summer vacation. Evidently, many others shared the same notion, because the theater was packed to near full capacity.

The lights went down, and I was instantly taken by the thrilling musical composition of James Newton Howard, instructed by Shyamalan to create a piece similar in ferocity to Bernard Hermann’s opening theme for Psycho. The music warned me that something terrifying was coming, and the film kept its promise. In my fourteen years, I hadn’t seen a film that suspenseful, and I vividly remember peeking out over the tops of my curled knees during the “disturbing footage” scene.

As a child, movies were a humongous part of my life. I wore out my Star Wars VHS tapes so badly that no amount of “tracking” could fix the little bouncy white lines at the bottom of the TV. But it wasn’t until that warm day in the summer of ’02 that I had an epiphany.

Movies were made by artists.

Directors. Writers. Actors. Editors. Cinematographers.

Movies were shot and cut together by someone. A composer wrote music to seamlessly blend with it. Someone arranged lights and objects within a shot to create visual synergy.

I have a perfect memory of returning home that day and bounding toward our apartment while saying to my mother, “I want to do that! I want to make a movie like that.”

After seeing Signs in theaters five times, I became fascinated with filmmaking. I didn’t just watch movies anymore, I studied them. The shot structure, the moment where a character reaches their arc, how a clever editor can heighten the tension with just the right cut. Everything! I lived and breathed movies. My parents must have seen a kid who’d discovered his passion, because one day, a package arrived at home containing a small camcorder. As far as I was concerned, it was the closest I’d ever get to being handed a dream, complete with bubble wrap.

The entirety of my teenage years were spent making countless short films with friends. If they weren’t around, I’d even make one by myself. It didn’t matter what the story was. If an idea popped into our heads, we just started filming it, sometimes without even knowing how it would end. It was blind inspiration, and a very wonderful time in my life. Of course, as we grew older, our films became more mature. One of my favorites was a tongue-in-cheek tribute to John Carpenter’s Halloween called The Marguerite Avenue Killings. Is it strange that with a title like that, no one dies in the short?

At the same time, my love for film as an art form began to evolve, with the creation of my first website called “A Critic’s Opinion.” Without internet at home, the library clerk saw me quite often during those few years. Mercifully, the free hosting provider shut down its services, and my novice site vanished from the net.

No matter what, my interest in filmmaking and movies never wavered. We tried our hand at two feature-length films, and to our credit, we actually completed a 70-minute film about a magical baseball diamond called Phenomenon Field, and an 84-minute horror film called The Woods. The latter took us two years to finish, and the lessons learned while filming were worth every minute spent.

It wasn’t until my early twenties that I had the idea of combining my passions. My love of film was glaringly apparent, and the hundreds of short films we’d created made my devotion to directing obvious. But I also loved analyzing film, studying the art form and trying to get in the head of the filmmaker. And, with the advent of YouTube, I suddenly had a place to express myself. My first video review was of Hayao Miyazaki’s Ponyo. Within a month, I had a small handful of subscribers, the majority being my very patient friends.

Seven years later, I have over 500,000 subscribers, and growing. I’ve met countless film enthusiasts who share my passion, and I’ve been deeply inspired by their personal stories of self-discovery. Without them, I have no idea where I’d be today. To my sheer delight, I’ve had the opportunity to meet M. Night Shyamalan, shake his hand, and thank him for inspiring me. After telling him the story I’ve just told you, he gave me an awestruck smile and said, “You’re gonna make me cry, man.”

What continues to inspire me today?

It’s the screen. That glowing, shiny rectangle.

I stare at it in awe, silently willing it to show me something incredible.

* * * *

Now, I’ve been given the immense privilege to discuss a handful of films that meant something to me, the majority of which I’ve had the opportunity to see in theaters. The following fifty films released from the year 2000 to 2015 are movies that absolutely must be seen, because they were evocative of their era, they spoke to our culture, or perhaps they’re overlooked gems. These films are presented in order of release date. This is not a countdown. Not only do I find lists superfluous, but this also eliminates the temptation to skip ahead to the #1 pick. The goal here is to discuss and analyze filmmaking, not to choose an order of best to worst. Now that we’ve got that out of the way, please sit back, relax, and take a journey with me fifteen years in the past, as we examine some of the best cinema has offered.

- Chris Stuckmann

American Psycho (2000)

Drama

Serial killers. Hollywood seems obsessed with the sub-genre. Films like 1995’s Se7en explore violent crimes through the eyes of the detectives attempting to solve them. American Psycho provides a refreshing change of pace by placing us in the expensive shoes of Patrick Bateman, a slick-haired, high-powered businessman played to sarcastic brilliance by Christian Bale. He’s the type who arrogantly flies into a fit of envy at the sight of an associate’s extravagant business card. “Look at that subtle off-white coloring, the tasteful thickness of it. Oh my God. It even has a watermark!”

His business card may be lacking, but Bateman seems to have it all. Riches, status, women. Unfortunately, despite his money and position in life, he can’t seem to stop murdering people.

The power of American Psycho lies in the mystery surrounding Bateman’s horrific acts of violence. Are his crimes real? Or is the whole ordeal some terrifying lucid dream existing only in his mind? The film traverses his mental anguish in a way I find most remarkable, and it does so with an impressively wicked sense of humor. Few films can get a laugh out of a bloodied, naked man chasing a woman with a chainsaw. Or how about Bateman’s compulsion for quoting 80s pop music? “Do you like Phil Collins?”

American Psycho is shot with meticulous attention to detail. Nearly every frame contains something visually arresting. In fact, I think many people overlook the immaculate cinematography when remembering this film. But I can’t really blame anyone for that, since the dialogue and performances are both so infectiously endearing. Factor in the biting satire of 80s culture along with two great supporting turns from Jared Leto and Reese Witherspoon and you really have no excuse to miss it. Unless of course, you have to return some videotapes.

Director: Mary Harron

Starring: Christian Bale, Jared Leto, Reese Witherspoon

Studio:Edward R. Pressman Productions

Memento (2000)

Mystery | Thriller

Most films play out in a three-act structure. The format is an effective way to ratchet up tension, yet its familiarity causes us to anticipate events to the point where few films actually surprise us anymore. Memento flipped that upside down… or should I say, reversed it?

As someone who personally knows how difficult selling an original screenplay is, I can’t imagine the conversations Christopher Nolan had as he pitched his chronologically reversed story, but somehow, it actually got made. Memento is a gigantic celebration of risk-taking, and man, did it ever pay off!

The always underrated Guy Pearce deftly inhabits the nerve-racked character of Leonard, a man hunting for his wife’s murderer while using a complex system of tattoos and notes to help him remember important details. He has no short term memory you see, he forgets everything that just occurred to him within minutes.

The narrative runs backward, from end to beginning. That’s right, you heard correctly. Someone made a backward-running film with a lead character who forgets what he’s doing every few minutes, and somehow it’s one of the best films ever made. Did I mention there are black and white scenes inter-spliced throughout, and that those are sequential? Wait, where was I?

Nolan’s incredible understanding of storytelling—in reverse, no less—is endlessly inspiring. Amongst all the psychological thrills, the film somehow manages to be deeply touching. Leonard often pauses to reminisce on the intact memories of his wife, and these scenes are brimming with tragic melancholy. We know that, within minutes, he won’t recall his brief second of happiness, and instead will look from side to side, wondering how he got there. Memento is a stunning achievement in original filmmaking, with an affecting story that has yet to be paralleled. I doubt it ever will.

Director: Christopher Nolan

Starring: Guy Pearce,Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantolino

Studio: Summit Entertainment

Unbreakable (2000)

Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

When M. Night Shyamalan hit it big with The Sixth Sense (1999), many thought he could go nowhere but down. In fact, many think that’s exactly what he did. When you write and direct a film that audiences, critics, and even the Academy love, I can’t imagine how one might approach a follow up. These are just a few of the reasons I think Unbreakable is not only a superior film when compared (unjustly) to The Sixth Sense, but put simply, one of the best superhero movies ever made.

Unbreakable is so vastly different from other films in its genre. It was a particular departure for Shyamalan, who feared being put into what he calls “The Box.” He wanted to do something original rather than get pigeonholed. “Original” can be a dirty word in Hollywood, a dangerous word. Yet Shyamalan pulled it off.

In Unbreakable, everyman David Dunn (Bruce Willis, in his best performance to date) survives a train wreck without a scratch. Comic book art gallery owner Elijah Prince (Samuel L. Jackson and his hair) tries to convince David that he’s a superhero placed on Earth to protect the human race. David doesn’t pay him much mind, but as the impossibilities mount—imperviousness to illness, heretofore-unknown strength—David begins to wonder.

What follows is one of the most unique and deeply moving films I’ve ever seen. Shyamalan took a major chance with Unbreakable, and while it was initially dismissed as an inferior film, one not worthy of the man who made The Sixth Sense, its reputation has grown over the years. Today, it’s often lauded as being ahead of its time, predating the comic book movie boom. Even the great Quentin Tarantino referred to it as “one of the masterpieces of our time.” The film is worth seeing for James Newton Howard’s brilliant compositions alone, which are haunting, powerful, and even inspiring.

My advice? Don’t compare Unbreakable to Shyamalan’s other works. Appreciate it instead for what it is: a fascinating tale of a superhero in hiding.

Director: M. Night Shyamalan

Starring: Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, Robin Wright

Studio: Touchtone Pictures

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

Action | Drama | Romance

As a youth, I had an unhealthy fascination with Bruce Lee’s animalistic battle cries. He didn’t just knock someone out, he let everyone in the building know he was coming. Growing up, his signature shrieks and howls were parodied so often, it seemed that martial arts films were losing their impact. Perhaps Jackie Chan observed this rift, leading to his successful inclusion of physical comedy amongst his epic butt-kicking. My enchantment with this filmmaking style continued with such films as The Matrix, but as time passed, it slowly became clear that the martial arts film was dead.

A thrilling resurgence occurred when Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon broke international records, became the highest grossing foreign film in U.S. history, and walked away with four Oscars. Films spoken entirely in Mandarin Chinese simply didn’t gross over $100 million in America. Ever. Ang Lee’s beautiful tale of masters, apprentices, martial arts and love had broken down cultural barriers, paving the way for gorgeous films like Hero and House of Flying Daggers.

Yuen Wo Ping—renowned for his breathless fighting choreography in films like Drunken Master—achieved heart-stopping results with actors Chow Yun-fat, Michelle Yeoh, and particularly the luminous Zhang Ziyi. Her role as a rebellious governor’s daughter facing an arranged marriage garnered much acclaim, and her striking command of swordsmanship and hand-to-hand combat made an undeniable impression.

Amongst all the breathtaking action are two touching stories of love and the circumstances which make grasping it impossible. These stirring, tender hardships give Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon its soul. Despite being set in a fantastical version of the past, its appeal is universal. It remains one of the few martial arts films that successfully combined marvelous action with a poignant story.

Director: Ang Lee

Starring: Zhang Ziyi, Michelle Yeoh, Chow Yun-fat

Studio: Columbia Pictures

Spirited Away (2001)

Animation | Adventure | Family | Fantasy

Hayao Miyazaki has created more masterpieces than your average filmmaker has created films. The sheer force of his talent has been felt since The Castle of Cagliostro, and he’s remained relevant as an artist, while also being a vastly inspirational individual. (Watch the documentary The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness and share my awe at his seemingly tireless work ethic.) He’s won countless awards in his field and has been lauded as one of animation’s greatest visionaries.

Why am I telling you all this? Because it’s astounding to me that Spirited Away, perhaps his greatest work, is so fiercely humble in mentality, free of all disdain, cynicism, and pessimism that could stain its childlike beauty.

The story encompasses a naive girl who stumbles off the beaten path and finds herself at a bathhouse run by witches, spirits and godlike creatures. She must learn to work for a living while she’s surrounded by entities that are vastly superior to her in strength and intellect, all while seeking a way to rescue her parents from the clutches of an evil spell.

Spirited Away is endlessly imaginative, filled with more wonder than any film of its kind. Studio Ghibli is renowned for its gorgeous and lifelike animation, but they truly outdid themselves. The scenic backgrounds are photorealistic, with lush valleys and plains blending into the horizon. Miyazaki also has a keen sense for sweeping, epic action, and Spirited Away is chockfull of jaw-dropping moments that send chills down my spine. I’m not exaggerating. There are many visuals in this film that genuinely make my hair stand on end.

If you’ve never seen a Studio Ghibli film, this would be a great place to start. It more than deserved its win for Best Animated Feature at the Oscars, and remains to this day the gold standard for animation around the world.

Director: Hayao Miyazaki

Starring: Mari Natsuki, Bunta Sugawara, Miyu Irino

Studio: Studio Ghibli

Donnie Darko (2001)

Drama | Sci-Fi

The term “cult classic” was invented specifically for films like Richard Kelly’s Donnie Darko. Initially dismissed by the masses and denied by critics, its lasting appeal is indisputable and its cultural impact impossible to ignore. Put simply, Donnie Darko is too strange to forget.

On the surface, Donnie Darko is about young Donnie (Jake Gyllenhaal), who survives a near-fatal accident only to find himself haunted by visions of a large rabbit creature. That hook alone aroused my interest enough to seek the film out. Other canny filmgoers did the same, and they’ve been spouting hordes of theories, explanations, and analyses for years since.

Подняться наверх