AV Club's Best Films of the '00s

I'm a sucker for these lists, especially when they come from sites that I have a lot of respect for. AV Club presents their list of the best films of the '00s, something that seems too overwhelming for me to attempt. Memento is my definitive favorite so it's nice to see that one come in at number 5. One thing that is clear is that I have not seen nearly enough of the films in the top 50.

Top 10:
10. Children Of Men (2006)
09. The New World (2005)
08. Capturing The Friedmans (2003)
07. Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003)
06. Spirited Away (2001)
05. Memento (2000)
04. No Country For Old Men (2007)
03. There Will Be Blood (2007)
02. 25th Hour (2002)
01. Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind (2004)

Runnin' Down a Dream

[WIKI]

When I really thought about it, I'd been listening to this guy longer than I'd been listening to anyone. Before Pearl Jam. Before My Morning Jacket. Before Radiohead. Before all of that I was buying Tom Petty albums as soon as they came out. Somewhere in my closet at my parents house is a CaseLogic full of tapes - tapes! - and I guarantee that Full Moon Fever is in there (I'm afraid to find out what else is in there). I can't say enough about this documentary. Rent. Buy. Consume.

Gomorra

One of the most intense experiences I've ever had in the theater. The best of '08 so far, by far.

[Wiki | IMDB]

Miroir Noir

Arcade Fire's new film/documentary covering the "Neon Bible Archives" here. Download it now, DVD will ship sometime next year.

Arcade Fire + David Fincher = A Trailer That is Too Short

Synechdoche, New York

Synechdoche, New York was everything I hoped for in Charlie Kaufman's directorial debut: ambitious, hilarious, touching, amazing.

McCarthy on Film

Blood Meridian is now under the supervision of Todd Field. This, coupled with the knowledge of Andrew Dominik (see The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford NOW!) tackling Cities on the Plain, and things remain right with the Cormac McCarthy film adaptation part of the world. Blood Meridian is due next year, with Cities slated for 2012. Once scheduled for the '08 holiday season, The Road, is now looking like a 2009 release as well. I would love to see Field & Dominik tap into the Nick Cave/Warren Ellis reservoir. Director John Hillcoat (The Proposition) already has Ellis scoring The Road. From Paste:

A Los Angeles Times article on the upcoming film adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's The Road (starring Viggo Mortensen and Charlize Theron) curiously dropped this little nugget of information: writer/director and sometimes actor Todd Field is currently working on an adaptation of McCarthy’s Blood Meridian novel. Ridley Scott had previously been attached to direct the tale, said to be a brutal 1850’s Western where Native Americans are slaughtered for profit. [Paste]

Omar Creates

[Photo Credit]

Dating back to May of 2007, Omar Rodriguez-Lopez (lead guitarist, The Mars Volta) has released eight solo albums. They are:

Se Dice Bisonte, No Bufalo
Omar Rodriguez Lopez & Lydia Lunch
The Apocalypse Inside of an Orange
Calibration (Is Pushing Luck and Key Too Far)
Omar Rodriguez-Lopez & Jeremy Michael Ward
Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fungus
Minor Cuts and Scrapes in the Bushes Ahead
Old Money

Two more (Megaritual & Despair) will be released on December 1st through Willie Anderson Recordings.

He also teamed up with Hans Zimmer to compose score for Guillermo Arriaga's (writer: Amores Perros, 21 Grams, Babel) directorial debut, titled The Burning Plain. (Se Dice Bisonte, No Bufalo is listed as the official soundtrack to the Arriaga-penned El Bufalo de la Noche.)

Omar also has two films (directing, producing & acting) in various stages of production.

Trailer: The Wrestler