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TOP 10: Movies that Defined the Decade
http://www.etonline.com/movies/105132_TOP_10_Movies_that_Defined_the_Decade/index.html
10. Hollywood Remakes.
Hollywood has oft been accused of running out of ideas, but over the past decade the major studios have churned out a record number of remakes, particularly horror movies, with no end in sight. A sampling, in no special order: 'Clash of the Titans,' 'King Kong,' 'Planet of the Apes,' 'True Grit,' 'The Karate Kid,' 'War of the Worlds,' 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,' 'Bad News Bears,' 'Halloween,' 'Friday the 13th,' 'A Nightmare on Elm Street,' 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,' 'The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3,' 'Poseidon,' 'Prom Night,' 'The Fog,' 'Sorority Row,' 'Willard,' 'The Omen,' 'Dawn of the Dead,' 'The Amityville Horror,' 'When a Stranger Calls,' 'The Hills Have Eyes,' The Stepford Wives,' 'Rollerball,' 'Ocean's Eleven,' 'The In-Laws,' 'Walking Tall,' 'The Longest Yard,' 'The Italian Job,' 'The Wicker Man,' 'Fun with Dick and Jane,' 'My Bloody Valentine,' 'The Stepfather,' 'The Day the Earth Stood Still,' 'Fame,' 'Freaky Friday' and on and on. Whether it was a straightforward remake or a new idea "reimagined" with a familiar name, Hollywood demonstrated without a doubt a serious lack of confidence and an increased reluctance to gamble on "the original idea" this past decade.
9. The 'Harry Potter' Franchise
J.K. Rowling's books about the boy wizard were already bestsellers when then-unknown Daniel Radcliffe was cast in the first film of the series, 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone,' in 2001. Since then, we've had a total of seven 'Harry Potter' adventures (the final installment, 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2,' is due next summer), with the franchise becoming the most successful ever at the box office, making more money than the 'Star Wars' and James Bond franchises. With the success of the series, many studios have tried their hand at their own series based on successful young adult books, from 'Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief' to 'Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events,' none with the phenomenal success of 'Potter.'
8. 'The Lord of the Rings' Trilogy
One ring to rule them all: Director Peter Jackson's epic, three-part adaptation of the classic J.R.R. Tolkien Middle-earth tale broadened the appeal of the adventures of the Hobbit Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) and his perilous journey to throw back the magical One Ring into the fires of Mount Doom. The incredible attention to detail, period garb and massive battles of 'The Fellowship of the Ring,' 'The Two Towers' and 'The Return of the King' paved the way for a variety of period epics, magical and otherwise, from '300' and 'The Chronicles of Narnia' to 'Eragon' and even Tim Burton's 'Alice in Wonderland.'
7. The 'Pirates of the Caribbean' Franchise
Disney took a major gamble by taking a creaky theme park ride that put most kids to sleep, adding eyeliner to then-middling box office star Johnny Depp and turning it into a surprise treasure chest of gold back in 2003. It's hard to believe that -- since no studio wanted to touch the pirate genre after the colossal box office failure of 'Cutthroat Island' -- the resulting success of 'Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl' reinvigorated a dead genre and made swashbuckling hip again, spawning three follow-up films and counting.
6. 'The Royal Tenenbaums'
'Rushmore' and 'Bottle Rocket' director Wes Anderson found his stride with this quirky 2001 film about an eccentric New York clan, and numerous indie filmmakers for the next several years attempted to ape his style. With a humorous-yet-melancholy vibe, a retro soundtrack (featuring the whimsical stylings of Mark Mothersbaugh) and careful attention to colorful palette and detail, both 'Tenenbaums' and Anderson's subsequent projects ('The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou,' 'The Darjeeling Limited' and 'Fantastic Mr. Fox') helped define the decade.
5. Post-9/11 Films
The tragedy of 9/11 profoundly changed the lives of Americans and the people around the world in 2001, and Hollywood was no exception. Facing the question of "how soon is too soon," filmmakers like Michael Moore began to explore what happened and what led up to the event in 2004's 'Fahrenheit 9/11,' then Hollywood tackled the fateful day head-on, most notably in Oliver Stone's 'World Trade Center' and Paul Greengrass' 'United 93,' both in 2006. At the same time, the war against terror in Iraq and Afghanistan resulted in films examining both the front lines ('The Hurt Locker,' 'Green Zone,' 'Restrepo') and stress on the home front ('Stop-Loss,' 'In the Valley of Elah,' 'The Messenger'). Still, audiences for the most part decided to choose fantasy over reality at the box office.
4. The 'Bourne' Trilogy
Matt Damon's turn as amnesiac superspy Jason Bourne turned the actor into a bonafide A-list box-office draw and changed the face of action thrillers with its flash-cut editing style and intelligent treatment of the audience. Even the James Bond franchise went the direction of 'Bourne,' rebooting with grittier, more realistic action in 'Casino Royale' and using the same 'Bourne Supremacy' co-editor for 'Quantum of Solace.'
3. Superhero Franchises
This was definitely the decade of the comic book superhero. With the success of 'Spider-Man,' 'X-Men' and Christopher Nolan's 'Batman' reboot, every Hollywood studio was chomping at the bit to launch their own superhero franchise, with mixed results. Iron Man was a hit, but Hulk kept missing. Superman returned to mixed results, but the Fantastic Four managed two movies. Marvel's already rebooting the Spidey and X-Men series, and they're currently ramping up with 'The Avengers,' 'Thor' and 'Captain America: The First Avenger.' Next up, all eyes are on Ryan Reynolds to see if 'Green Lantern' can launch a successful franchise. It's good to be a superhero.
2. 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon'
Ang Lee's traditional Chinese martial-arts saga broke records for a subtitled foreign film at the domestic box office released in 2000, made Hong Kong stars Chow Yun Fat, Michelle Yeoh and Zhang Ziyi international icons, and had a tremendous influence on Hollywood action. Countless big-screen brawls in Hollywood epics now include martial arts and wirework fight choreography pioneered by Yuen Wo Ping, thanks to 'Crouching Tiger,' and the film paved the way for the welcome reception of foreign action epics in domestic theaters, from 'House of Flying Daggers' to 'Hero' and 'Curse of the Golden Flower' (all featuring various 'Crouching' cast members).
1. 'Brokeback Mountain'
Remarkable for its pop culture impact, director Ang Lee's 'Brokeback Mountain' received widespread critical acclaim in 2005 for its story of two ranch hands struggling with the consequences of their passionate, forbidden gay relationship. Jake Gyllenhaal and the late Heath Ledger, both heterosexual actors, delivered dignified, convincing performances that helped push the boundaries of Hollywood mainstream productions and paved the way for gay characters in projects ranging from 'Milk' and 'The Kids Are All Right' to TV's "Modern Family" and "Glee."
http://www.etonline.com/movies/105132_TOP_10_Movies_that_Defined_the_Decade/index.html
10. Hollywood Remakes.
Hollywood has oft been accused of running out of ideas, but over the past decade the major studios have churned out a record number of remakes, particularly horror movies, with no end in sight. A sampling, in no special order: 'Clash of the Titans,' 'King Kong,' 'Planet of the Apes,' 'True Grit,' 'The Karate Kid,' 'War of the Worlds,' 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,' 'Bad News Bears,' 'Halloween,' 'Friday the 13th,' 'A Nightmare on Elm Street,' 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,' 'The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3,' 'Poseidon,' 'Prom Night,' 'The Fog,' 'Sorority Row,' 'Willard,' 'The Omen,' 'Dawn of the Dead,' 'The Amityville Horror,' 'When a Stranger Calls,' 'The Hills Have Eyes,' The Stepford Wives,' 'Rollerball,' 'Ocean's Eleven,' 'The In-Laws,' 'Walking Tall,' 'The Longest Yard,' 'The Italian Job,' 'The Wicker Man,' 'Fun with Dick and Jane,' 'My Bloody Valentine,' 'The Stepfather,' 'The Day the Earth Stood Still,' 'Fame,' 'Freaky Friday' and on and on. Whether it was a straightforward remake or a new idea "reimagined" with a familiar name, Hollywood demonstrated without a doubt a serious lack of confidence and an increased reluctance to gamble on "the original idea" this past decade.
9. The 'Harry Potter' Franchise
J.K. Rowling's books about the boy wizard were already bestsellers when then-unknown Daniel Radcliffe was cast in the first film of the series, 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone,' in 2001. Since then, we've had a total of seven 'Harry Potter' adventures (the final installment, 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2,' is due next summer), with the franchise becoming the most successful ever at the box office, making more money than the 'Star Wars' and James Bond franchises. With the success of the series, many studios have tried their hand at their own series based on successful young adult books, from 'Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief' to 'Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events,' none with the phenomenal success of 'Potter.'
8. 'The Lord of the Rings' Trilogy
One ring to rule them all: Director Peter Jackson's epic, three-part adaptation of the classic J.R.R. Tolkien Middle-earth tale broadened the appeal of the adventures of the Hobbit Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) and his perilous journey to throw back the magical One Ring into the fires of Mount Doom. The incredible attention to detail, period garb and massive battles of 'The Fellowship of the Ring,' 'The Two Towers' and 'The Return of the King' paved the way for a variety of period epics, magical and otherwise, from '300' and 'The Chronicles of Narnia' to 'Eragon' and even Tim Burton's 'Alice in Wonderland.'
7. The 'Pirates of the Caribbean' Franchise
Disney took a major gamble by taking a creaky theme park ride that put most kids to sleep, adding eyeliner to then-middling box office star Johnny Depp and turning it into a surprise treasure chest of gold back in 2003. It's hard to believe that -- since no studio wanted to touch the pirate genre after the colossal box office failure of 'Cutthroat Island' -- the resulting success of 'Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl' reinvigorated a dead genre and made swashbuckling hip again, spawning three follow-up films and counting.
6. 'The Royal Tenenbaums'
'Rushmore' and 'Bottle Rocket' director Wes Anderson found his stride with this quirky 2001 film about an eccentric New York clan, and numerous indie filmmakers for the next several years attempted to ape his style. With a humorous-yet-melancholy vibe, a retro soundtrack (featuring the whimsical stylings of Mark Mothersbaugh) and careful attention to colorful palette and detail, both 'Tenenbaums' and Anderson's subsequent projects ('The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou,' 'The Darjeeling Limited' and 'Fantastic Mr. Fox') helped define the decade.
5. Post-9/11 Films
The tragedy of 9/11 profoundly changed the lives of Americans and the people around the world in 2001, and Hollywood was no exception. Facing the question of "how soon is too soon," filmmakers like Michael Moore began to explore what happened and what led up to the event in 2004's 'Fahrenheit 9/11,' then Hollywood tackled the fateful day head-on, most notably in Oliver Stone's 'World Trade Center' and Paul Greengrass' 'United 93,' both in 2006. At the same time, the war against terror in Iraq and Afghanistan resulted in films examining both the front lines ('The Hurt Locker,' 'Green Zone,' 'Restrepo') and stress on the home front ('Stop-Loss,' 'In the Valley of Elah,' 'The Messenger'). Still, audiences for the most part decided to choose fantasy over reality at the box office.
4. The 'Bourne' Trilogy
Matt Damon's turn as amnesiac superspy Jason Bourne turned the actor into a bonafide A-list box-office draw and changed the face of action thrillers with its flash-cut editing style and intelligent treatment of the audience. Even the James Bond franchise went the direction of 'Bourne,' rebooting with grittier, more realistic action in 'Casino Royale' and using the same 'Bourne Supremacy' co-editor for 'Quantum of Solace.'
3. Superhero Franchises
This was definitely the decade of the comic book superhero. With the success of 'Spider-Man,' 'X-Men' and Christopher Nolan's 'Batman' reboot, every Hollywood studio was chomping at the bit to launch their own superhero franchise, with mixed results. Iron Man was a hit, but Hulk kept missing. Superman returned to mixed results, but the Fantastic Four managed two movies. Marvel's already rebooting the Spidey and X-Men series, and they're currently ramping up with 'The Avengers,' 'Thor' and 'Captain America: The First Avenger.' Next up, all eyes are on Ryan Reynolds to see if 'Green Lantern' can launch a successful franchise. It's good to be a superhero.
2. 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon'
Ang Lee's traditional Chinese martial-arts saga broke records for a subtitled foreign film at the domestic box office released in 2000, made Hong Kong stars Chow Yun Fat, Michelle Yeoh and Zhang Ziyi international icons, and had a tremendous influence on Hollywood action. Countless big-screen brawls in Hollywood epics now include martial arts and wirework fight choreography pioneered by Yuen Wo Ping, thanks to 'Crouching Tiger,' and the film paved the way for the welcome reception of foreign action epics in domestic theaters, from 'House of Flying Daggers' to 'Hero' and 'Curse of the Golden Flower' (all featuring various 'Crouching' cast members).
1. 'Brokeback Mountain'
Remarkable for its pop culture impact, director Ang Lee's 'Brokeback Mountain' received widespread critical acclaim in 2005 for its story of two ranch hands struggling with the consequences of their passionate, forbidden gay relationship. Jake Gyllenhaal and the late Heath Ledger, both heterosexual actors, delivered dignified, convincing performances that helped push the boundaries of Hollywood mainstream productions and paved the way for gay characters in projects ranging from 'Milk' and 'The Kids Are All Right' to TV's "Modern Family" and "Glee."
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