Saturday, November 14, 2009

The Times Top 100 of the Decade & Caché

Call me patient, but I don't understand the rush to release the Top 100 films of the decade, but the UK paper The Times decided to do just that.

Of course, list of this nature are just to spur controversy, discussion, and awareness, and the number one film of the decade selected by the times was the 2005 Michael Haneke film Caché.

If you've seen the french-language film Caché (hidden), you will immediately be able to identify the picture posted above. The plot of this horror-esque film is based upon a family who receives video tapes for an undisclosed person who is sending them hours of footage of the front door of their home.

The mystery, the stress, and the discovery of information that come from these tapes ends up being truly intriguing.

But, I would say this is almost a high-brow horror film, that because of it's various elements including long uncut camera shots and unique story construction can easily make this film not only a praised film, but one that polarizes audiences.

While I loved this film, I imagine it would bore my wife to tears and should would fall to sleep fifteen minutes into viewing.

It's inclusion as the Times's #1 film is certainly interesting, as is the rest of their best of the decade. Here is their (British-centric) top 10 of this decade. (Their full top 100 can be found here)

1. Caché (Michael Haneke, 2005)
2. The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum (Paul Greengrass, 2004 and 2007)
3. No Country for Old Men (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2007)
4. Grizzly Man (Werner Herzog, 2005)
5. Team America: World Police (Trey Parker, 2004)
6. Slumdog Millionaire (Danny Boyle, 2008)
7. The Last King of Scotland (Kevin Macdonald, 2006)
8. Casino Royale (Martin Campbell, 2006)
9. The Queen (Stephen Frears, 2006)
10. Hunger (Steve McQueen, 2008)

5 comments:

Andrew K. said...

Well none of these would be in top 5, maybe not even my 100.

Loren Eaton said...

Caché really interested me until I heard it was political. Was I misinformed?

RC said...

@ Andrew, none of those 10 would be in my top 5 either.

@ Loren, I wouldn't really consider the film overly political - it does deal with Franco-Arab themes of a political nature, but nothing to "polical message film oriented." If anything political(to me) it seems to deal with a dismanteling of race tensions over generations.

Notas Sobre Creación Cultural e Imaginarios Sociales said...

While "Caché" was brilliant, Haneke's greatest film this decade was "The Piano Teacher" (I've yet to see "The White Ribbon" so this might be obsolete after I do).
The Times' attempt is respectable, but their top 10 is preposterous. They should've gone ahead and name it the best British films of the decade. Any list that has "Slumdog Millioanire" above "There Will Be Blood", "The Departed", "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days", "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" and "Volver" is truly questionable.

Loren Eaton said...

Ah. Interesting. I got the idea from the Wall Street Journal review that it was a critique on the war on terror. Might have to check it out.