rmlumley.com

As we close in on 2010, I thought I’d post my favorite films of each decade, from the 1930s to the 2000s. I want to stress that these are my favorite films, not necessarily the best films of each decade. The difference is a favorite of mine is something that I love and will watch over and over again; whereas best is based more off of influence.

1930s – The Wizard of Oz

Originally, I was thinking of going with a Frank Capra film.  I’m a sucker for Frank Capra movies and Mr Smith Goes to Washington is my favorite of his.  After thinking about it, I’m going to have to go with The Wizard of Oz.  I’ve seen The Wizard of Oz countless times and I never tire of it.  I also considered M, It Happened One Night and The Grand Illusion for this spot.

1940s – Citizen Kane

This is a situation where my favorite and what I consider the best film of a decade are one in the same.  I thought about Casablanca, Double Indemnity & The Best Years of Our Lives, but ultimately Citizen Kane wins out.  I probably need to see The Best Years of Our Lives again.  I’ve only seen it once but it had a profound effect on me.

1950s – The 400 Blows

I enjoy the French New Wave and Truffaut’s The 400 Blows is definitely my favorite of that era.  My first thought was it was released in 1960, but it makes the cut with a 1959 release.  The 50s were also pretty great for Hitchcock (The Rear Window & Vertigo).  12 Angry Men, Sunset Boulevard & Singin’ in the Rain were also considered.

1960s – The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

The 60s were a tossup between two Sergio Leone films.  I decided to go with The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, but you can’t go wrong with Once Upon a Time in the West.  I probably enjoyed Once Upon a Time in the West more on the first viewing, but subsequent viewings give the edge to The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.  Honorable mention to The Man who Shot Liberty Valance, Psycho & The Graduate.

1970s – The Godfather, Part II

This was very difficult.  I thought about The Godfather, Taxi Driver, Star Wars, Mean Streets & Annie Hall.  I ultimately decided to go with The Godfather, Part II.  There are certain scenes in that movie that still stick out to me.  The 70s were pretty awesome, so you can’t go wrong with any of the picks.

1980s – This is Spinal Tap!

Originally, I went with Hannah and Her Sisters, switched to Raging Bull, and then thought about going with Empire Strikes Back.  For better or worse, Star Wars has been a big part of my life and Empire Strikes Back is my favorite installment of the series, but I refuse to give George Lucas any more credit.  I decided to go with my favorite comedy of all time, This is Spinal Tap!  Still, I feel it’s a crime not to have a Woody Allen or Martin Scorsese movie on the list.

1990s – Boogie Nights

Of all the decades, this was the decade I had the hardest time deciding on.  I thought about going with a Michael Mann movie, either Heat or Last of the Mohicans.  I also thought about Pulp Fiction, Casino & American Beauty.  Still, I have watched  Boogie Nights a lot and still love it.  It’s just full of so many memorable (and quotable) scenes.

2000s – Punch-Drunk Love

Of all the decades, the 2000s were the easiest for me to pick.  I don’t think it’s been particularly strong decade, but it did see the release of my favorite film, Punch-Drunk Love.  This is the 2nd PT Anderson film on this list and probably the pick that most people will argue against.  It’s a film I watch a few times every year and I don’t see that changing.

I was watching Roxanne last night and I was reminded at how movies from the 80s are instantly recognizable. I don’t know if there is any other decade where you can so easily tell the decade the film takes place. Why is this?

Fashion and hair is the most obvious reason. I can watch movies from the 70s and before and see why certain fashions and hair styles were popular. Some people just look good, even if a style is outdated, but not the 80s. I blame Reagan and DARE.

The love interests also tend to be obvious.  Normally the female will be an athletic blonde with frizzy hair.  The male will always be some dumb jock.  I know the 80s didn’t start these cliches, but they definitely solidified and relied on them.

Aesthetically, movies from the 80s also tend to include a lot of long shots and close ups. Rarely does there seem to be anything in between these two extremes.  The title sequences are often zany and in really terrible fonts.  If there is a score, it’s often really bad jazz.

Also, everything seems to be really well lit. The interior shots are without any shadows and outside it looks really, really sunny. I don’t know how to explain this, but if I didn’t know any better I would think that the sun was just a lot brighter between 1980 and 1989.

Yesterday I found this great graph at the New York Times.  It looks at the history of ads during the Super Bowl.  On first glance, I was interested in the following:

• 42% of the ads were humorous in 2002.  That number rose to 83% last year.  Effect of 9/11.
• There were 17 dot-com ads in 2000, and only 3 in 2001.  Effect of the dot-com bubble burst.
• Animals are always involved between 15-30% of the ads.
• The rise of Film Studios using the Super Bowl to market their films.

It’s this last point that I wish to explore a little more.  I’ve listed each year that had a TV spot from a film, and placed it’s ranking in Box Office on the year of release.

1987: Over the Top (50+)
I’m amused to see that Over the Top was the first movie to have a TV spot in the Super Bowl.  It didn’t make the top 50 that year and only made $16 million.   This is probably why another Film wouldn’t be in the Super Bowl for 4 more years.

1991: King Ralph (40), The Doors (39)
These are two totally different movies that each had spots in the Super Bowl.  They both did ok and were right next to each other in rankings.

1992: Shining Through (50+), Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot! (46)
I’ve never heard of Shining Through and Stop! or My Mom Will Shoot! is really awful.  Not a very good year for movies in the Super Bowl.

1993: Groundhog Day (13), Cliffhanger (10), Falling Down (37), A Few Good Men (5)
This is clearly the best year up to this point.  A Few Good Men’s ranking is actually from 1992 since it was released in December of that year.  Still, three in the top 15.

1994: Getaway (50+), Sugar Hill (50+), On Deadly Ground (37)
Getaway & Sugar Hill were flops and On Deadly Ground did alright.

1995: Just Cause (47)
Obviously 1994′s failures effected 1995 with only one entry.  Once again, mediocre box office numbers.

1996: Independence Day (1)
Huge box office numbers and look at the result below.

1997: The Devil’s Own (50+), Men in Black (2), The Saint (28), Liar Liar (4), Dante’s Peak (22), The Lost World (3), Private Parts (50+), The 5th Element (26)
Three of the top 4 films from 1997 (Titanic was #1) and two others in the top 30.

1998: Sphere (50+), Lost in Space (30), The Wedding Singer (24), The Mask of Zorro (19), Armageddon (2), Mercury Rising (50+)
I’m not sure why there are so many Space movies but the Super Bowl doesn’t help out Sphere or Mercury Rising. Obviously, Armageddon is the big winner here.

1999: Austin Powers (4), The Mummy (8), EdTV (50+), The Matrix (5), Wild Wild West (17)
Three of the top 8.  I’m shocked to see Wild Wild West in the top 20.

2000: Titan A.E. (50+), Mission to Mars (41), Gladiator (4), Nutty Professor II (16), U-571 (28)
Gladiator & Nutty Professor II benefit, but the others aren’t helped too much.

2001: A Knight’s Tale (45), Hannibal (12), Mummy Returns (6), Swordfish (35), Exit Wounds (49)
Two in the top 12 and all of them are in the top 50.  I forgot Hannibal did so well.

2002: Austin Powers in Goldmember (7), Blade 2 (31), Hart’s War (109), 40 Days and 40 Nights (71), XXX (15), Signs (6), Collateral Damage (66), Bad Company (88), Scorpion King (29), Frankenstein (150+)
Signs & Austin Powers 2 are big hits, but Frankenstein is a huge flop.

2003: Daredevil (27), Anger Management (12), Bad Boys 2 (11), Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle (29), The Hulk (14), Bruce Almighty (5), The Recruit (55), The Matrix Revolutions (9), Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (8)
Three in the top 10, with three more in the top 14  and two others in the top 30.  I’d say this is a pretty successful year.  Who would have thought in 1999 that a third Terminator would do better than a third Matrix?

2004: Secret Window (67), 50 First Dates (15), Van Helsing (16), Ladykillers (76), Hildalgo (42), The Alamo (101), Miracle (47), Troy (13), Starsky and Hutch (26)

Three in the top 16, but the rest are pretty mediocre.  The Alamo is a huge flop.

2005: Robots (15), The Pacifier (17), Be Cool (48), War of the Worlds (4), The Longest Yard (12), Sahara (35), Hitch (11), Constantine (29), Batman Begins (8)

Before I looked this up, I thought it would be a failure outside of War of the Worlds and Batman Begins.  I guess I was wrong with all of them in the top 50 and six in the top 17.  I didn’t remember The Pacifier, Robots or The Longest Yard being so successful.

2006: The World’s Fastest Indian (150+), Running Scared (150+), Mission Impossible III (14), Cars (3), Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (1), 16 Blocks (86), Poseidon (49), V for Vendetta (36)

I think The World’s Fastest Indian is the strangest movie to have a Super Bowl ad.  Obviously Cars and Pirates of the Caribbean enjoy big years.

2007: Pride (150+), Hannibal Rising (90), Wild Hogs (13), Meet the Robinsons (29)
Pride is a failure and I completely forgot about Hannibal Rising.  Outside of Wild Hogs, not a good year for films in the Super Bowl.

2008: Wanted (16), Iron Man (2), Leatherheads (92), Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (13), Wall-E (5), Jumper (37), Don’t Mess with Zohan (28)
Iron Man & Wall-E are big hits with Wanted & Chronicles of Narnia rounding out the top 16.  Even though it’s about football, Leatherheads doesn’t enjoy much success.

From January 16-22, the number one movie in America was Paul Blart: Mall Cop. It made $43 million. 43 Million Dollars! I’m amazed.

Every year, there is some awful movie that is marketed and advertised for months before it’s release. Every year, I think “there is no way this movie will do well.” And every year, said movie is a success. I just don’t understand it.

Lets take a look at Paul Blart: Mall Cop.

Is it a sequel or a spin-off?

No, it appears that this is an original idea.  I could go on about how that makes the movie even sadder, but instead, listen to Patton Oswalt talk about Death Bed.

Is it a good idea for a movie?

An inept rent-a-cop.  It sounds funny for 30 seconds.  An obvious joke everyone makes when they are in a mall.  A joke that gets a chuckle and everyone moves on.  Somehow, it’s going to get stretched into a 90 minute comedy.

Does it have any stars?

It has Kevin James.  I guess people like King of Queens, but I wouldn’t consider him much of a star.  He was a co-star in Hitch & I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, but I’m guessing Will Smith and Adam Sandler were the bigger draws in both those films.

Does it look funny?

Sometimes a comedy like this will have a funny trailer that includes all of the best gags.  This trailer does not have any funny scenes.  It’s just 2 minutes of a Segway and Kevin James falling down and running into people.

Are reviews good?

Nope, 27% on Rotten Tomatoes.  One of the positive reviews states, “Laughs occasionally ensue.”  I wonder if it happens the first time Kevin James falls down.

Why did so many people go see it?

I don’t know.  I mean, it’s a weak year for the Oscars, but there are better options than this.  Outside of that, it’s PG so maybe it’s just the family effect.  Even then, stay home and save some money and just re-watch WALL-E.