Which movies represent the 00s and 10s?
08-03-15, 11:30 AM
#1
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Thread Starter
Which movies represent the 00s and 10s?
Every decade has a selection of movies that seem to speak to the public at large and represent the spirit and general beliefs of that era. The 70s had movies that dealt with the consequences of the Vietnam War (Taxi Driver, The Deer Hunter, Apocalypse Now) and a general sense of displacement (Deliverance, The Exorcist, Chinatown) as to where America stood in the world. You also saw the rise of the modern-day blockbuster in Jaws and Star Wars. It was a golden age in cinema.
By the 1980s, you saw big action movies really come to the forefront (Arnold, Sylvester, Tom) as well as movies that focused on teens and 20-somethings (the Brat Pack movies). The generally good state of the economy and confidence of the American people reflected itself in the movies, which tended to entice people to the theatres to have a good time. The rise of the "popcorn movie", so to speak.
The 90s saw a further refinement of the studio blockbuster (Titanic, The Matrix, Jurassic Park) by using the latest in computer effects technology but also the rise in prominence of quirky low-budget indie cinema (Pulp Fiction, Fargo, Being John Malkovich). It was an interesting mix of the creativity of the 70s and the popcorn formula of the 80s.
But when it comes to the movies of the 21st century so far that represent where we are as a society, I'm a bit at a loss. Scanning the most popular releases, the most common thing I see is the rise of the franchise. Now there have been franchises for decades now but it really seems like a concerted effort now by the studios to build these tentpoles years in advance. Sure, you get a Birdman or an Argo in there at the Oscars but 20 years from now, will people look back and say, "yeah, Twilight was really representative of that time". Which movies do you think best represent the 00s and 10s?
By the 1980s, you saw big action movies really come to the forefront (Arnold, Sylvester, Tom) as well as movies that focused on teens and 20-somethings (the Brat Pack movies). The generally good state of the economy and confidence of the American people reflected itself in the movies, which tended to entice people to the theatres to have a good time. The rise of the "popcorn movie", so to speak.
The 90s saw a further refinement of the studio blockbuster (Titanic, The Matrix, Jurassic Park) by using the latest in computer effects technology but also the rise in prominence of quirky low-budget indie cinema (Pulp Fiction, Fargo, Being John Malkovich). It was an interesting mix of the creativity of the 70s and the popcorn formula of the 80s.
But when it comes to the movies of the 21st century so far that represent where we are as a society, I'm a bit at a loss. Scanning the most popular releases, the most common thing I see is the rise of the franchise. Now there have been franchises for decades now but it really seems like a concerted effort now by the studios to build these tentpoles years in advance. Sure, you get a Birdman or an Argo in there at the Oscars but 20 years from now, will people look back and say, "yeah, Twilight was really representative of that time". Which movies do you think best represent the 00s and 10s?
08-03-15, 11:34 AM
#2
DVD Talk Platinum Edition
Re: Which movies represent the 00s and 10s?
The Dark Knight and Avengers probably. Superhero films have just exploded. They are everywhere all the time it seems
08-03-15, 11:47 AM
#3
Re: Which movies represent the 00s and 10s?
The first two that jump out at me are The Social Network and The Dark Knight. The Social Network makes perfect sense on the surface for obvious reasons, but I think it resonates culturally in ways that go beyond just being about facebook.
The Dark Knight may be a big franchise film, but it also captured the zeitgeist in a way that even massively successful blockbuster franchise films don't usually do. I mean Jurassic World is now the 3rd highest grossing film of all time and a massive hit the likes no one ever expected. But will anyone even remember it a month from now? No matter what anyone thinks of the Dark Knight (in other words, save your comments for yourself stvn1974), it dominated the cultural narrative of its day. Just thinking about all of the words written on the film's supposed politics and whether or not it was pro or anti the Bush administration, etc., is kind of mind boggling to me.
The Dark Knight may be a big franchise film, but it also captured the zeitgeist in a way that even massively successful blockbuster franchise films don't usually do. I mean Jurassic World is now the 3rd highest grossing film of all time and a massive hit the likes no one ever expected. But will anyone even remember it a month from now? No matter what anyone thinks of the Dark Knight (in other words, save your comments for yourself stvn1974), it dominated the cultural narrative of its day. Just thinking about all of the words written on the film's supposed politics and whether or not it was pro or anti the Bush administration, etc., is kind of mind boggling to me.
08-03-15, 11:48 AM
#4
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Which movies represent the 00s and 10s?
08-03-15, 11:55 AM
#5
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Re: Which movies represent the 00s and 10s?
If the Avatar sequels are are a success than I would say Avatar and The Avengers. If not then The Dark Knight and The Avengers, sadly.
Last edited by stvn1974; 08-03-15 at 12:02 PM.
08-03-15, 12:01 PM
#6
Re: Which movies represent the 00s and 10s?
Tarantino: KILL BILL Vols. 1 & 2, INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS, DJANGO UNCHAINED
R-rated comedies: Will Ferrell, THE HANGOVER, BRIDESMAIDS, Melissa McCarthy
CGI animated spectacles: all that stuff that everyone seems to like that I can't stomach: THE INCREDIBLES, ICE AGE, RANGO, MADAGASCAR, KUNG FU PANDA, CARS, MONSTERS INC., RATATOUILLE, DESPICABLE ME, INSIDE OUT, etc.
Superhero franchises, esp. the Marvel kind.
But the 21st century will never get any cinematic movement as era-defining as silent comedies, Depression-era musicals, WWII combat films, film noir, Italian westerns, counterculture "youth" films, etc.
R-rated comedies: Will Ferrell, THE HANGOVER, BRIDESMAIDS, Melissa McCarthy
CGI animated spectacles: all that stuff that everyone seems to like that I can't stomach: THE INCREDIBLES, ICE AGE, RANGO, MADAGASCAR, KUNG FU PANDA, CARS, MONSTERS INC., RATATOUILLE, DESPICABLE ME, INSIDE OUT, etc.
Superhero franchises, esp. the Marvel kind.
But the 21st century will never get any cinematic movement as era-defining as silent comedies, Depression-era musicals, WWII combat films, film noir, Italian westerns, counterculture "youth" films, etc.
Last edited by Ash Ketchum; 08-03-15 at 01:56 PM.
08-03-15, 12:16 PM
#7
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Which movies represent the 00s and 10s?
I would say remakes and reboots. Too much going back to redo the great movies of the 70s, 80s, and 90s. Across all genres some are good, but most are bad.
Last edited by Bluelitespecial; 08-03-15 at 12:22 PM.
08-03-15, 12:18 PM
#8
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Which movies represent the 00s and 10s?
I agree with the rise of the franchises... first ones that came to mind for the 00's - LOTR and Harry Potter. X-Men and Spider-man kickstarted the comic-book craze... with the Dark Knight movies and Iron Man being the maturation of their quality potential.
10's starts with The Avengers (similar to JP in the 90's).. cementing comic book movies as the major tentpole films. From there the theme so far might be "whats old is new again." With JP, SW, ID4 franchises being dusted off and brought back to life.
10's starts with The Avengers (similar to JP in the 90's).. cementing comic book movies as the major tentpole films. From there the theme so far might be "whats old is new again." With JP, SW, ID4 franchises being dusted off and brought back to life.
08-03-15, 12:39 PM
#9
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Which movies represent the 00s and 10s?
Harry Potter. Twilight. Hunger Games. LOTR. The Matrix -- it was dominant although the first movie was released in 1999. Star Wars Prequels, also starting in 1999.
It's all about long story arcs and fantasy escapism.
It's all about long story arcs and fantasy escapism.
Last edited by Nick Danger; 08-03-15 at 12:45 PM.
08-03-15, 12:41 PM
#10
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Thread Starter
Re: Which movies represent the 00s and 10s?
The first two that jump out at me are The Social Network and The Dark Knight. The Social Network makes perfect sense on the surface for obvious reasons, but I think it resonates culturally in ways that go beyond just being about facebook.
The Dark Knight may be a big franchise film, but it also captured the zeitgeist in a way that even massively successful blockbuster franchise films don't usually do. I mean Jurassic World is now the 3rd highest grossing film of all time and a massive hit the likes no one ever expected. But will anyone even remember it a month from now? No matter what anyone thinks of the Dark Knight (in other words, save your comments for yourself stvn1974), it dominated the cultural narrative of its day. Just thinking about all of the words written on the film's supposed politics and whether or not it was pro or anti the Bush administration, etc., is kind of mind boggling to me.
The Dark Knight may be a big franchise film, but it also captured the zeitgeist in a way that even massively successful blockbuster franchise films don't usually do. I mean Jurassic World is now the 3rd highest grossing film of all time and a massive hit the likes no one ever expected. But will anyone even remember it a month from now? No matter what anyone thinks of the Dark Knight (in other words, save your comments for yourself stvn1974), it dominated the cultural narrative of its day. Just thinking about all of the words written on the film's supposed politics and whether or not it was pro or anti the Bush administration, etc., is kind of mind boggling to me.
I think there need to be more movies made about simultaneous connection and separation, which is probably the most prevalent issue in our modern society. "Her" was a fantastic example of this. I hope that movie gets remembered decades from now.
08-03-15, 12:50 PM
#11
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Thread Starter
Re: Which movies represent the 00s and 10s?
Intetesting. The 00s in particular were a really shitty decade (9/11, two major wars, and economic collapse). Movies offering a temporary escape from that would be a nice counterpoint to all the doom and gloom.
08-03-15, 01:05 PM
#12
Re: Which movies represent the 00s and 10s?
The LotR trilogy for sure. Not only were they huge hits, but it was also the first big franchise I can think of where we were going to get the three installments whether we liked it or not. They were all slotted onto the calendar before the first film was even released. Please correct me if I'm misremembering, but really, how big of a failure would Fellowship have had to have been in order for New Line to pull the plug on the others? LotR also proved that the geekier side of pop-culture could play to the masses. Sure, Star Wars had proven that to a degree 25 years earlier, but I'd say LotR was quite a bit further down the geek rabbit hole than SW. In that way, LotR could be blamed for the rise of comic book movies just as much as the success of Spider-Man and X-Men.
On the flip-side to the franchise discussion, I'd say Mulholland Drive belongs on any list of 00's films. Based on its placement on the various critics lists (such as the Sight and Sound list from 2012 or the recent BFI list) many consider it the best American film of the 21st century. I think it also stands as one of the very few times what we might consider a weird art film has had any sort of real cultural penetration this century. That it came out right when dvd was hitting the stratosphere as a consumer product probably had a big part in that. That and lesbian sex.
On the flip-side to the franchise discussion, I'd say Mulholland Drive belongs on any list of 00's films. Based on its placement on the various critics lists (such as the Sight and Sound list from 2012 or the recent BFI list) many consider it the best American film of the 21st century. I think it also stands as one of the very few times what we might consider a weird art film has had any sort of real cultural penetration this century. That it came out right when dvd was hitting the stratosphere as a consumer product probably had a big part in that. That and lesbian sex.
08-03-15, 01:46 PM
#13
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Which movies represent the 00s and 10s?
The Social Network is a perfect time capsule of a movie.
There's similarly Mulholland Drive, Memento, Donnie Darko, Oldboy, No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood. These movies latched on to the darker mentality that seemed prevalent around the turn of the millennium. Even Spider-man 2, X2 and The Dark Knight trilogy did a good job portraying that in more mainstream culture.
There's similarly Mulholland Drive, Memento, Donnie Darko, Oldboy, No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood. These movies latched on to the darker mentality that seemed prevalent around the turn of the millennium. Even Spider-man 2, X2 and The Dark Knight trilogy did a good job portraying that in more mainstream culture.
08-03-15, 02:04 PM
#14
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Which movies represent the 00s and 10s?
The Dark Knight
Iron Man
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
United 93
Zero Dark Thirty
The Hurt Locker
American Sniper
Fahrenheit 9-11
The Fog of War
Brokeback Mountain
The Social Network
Her
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Iron Man
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
United 93
Zero Dark Thirty
The Hurt Locker
American Sniper
Fahrenheit 9-11
The Fog of War
Brokeback Mountain
The Social Network
Her
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
08-03-15, 02:05 PM
#15
Re: Which movies represent the 00s and 10s?
The Social Network is a perfect time capsule of a movie.
There's similarly Mulholland Drive, Memento, Donnie Darko, Oldboy, No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood. These movies latched on to the darker mentality that seemed prevalent around the turn of the millennium. Even Spider-man 2, X2 and The Dark Knight trilogy did a good job portraying that in more mainstream culture.
There's similarly Mulholland Drive, Memento, Donnie Darko, Oldboy, No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood. These movies latched on to the darker mentality that seemed prevalent around the turn of the millennium. Even Spider-man 2, X2 and The Dark Knight trilogy did a good job portraying that in more mainstream culture.
08-03-15, 03:17 PM
#17
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Which movies represent the 00s and 10s?
I don't know... Post-2000 doesn't really have much of a zeitgeist, does it?
08-03-15, 03:54 PM
#19
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Re: Which movies represent the 00s and 10s?
Probably TDK.
Even though I thought it was pretentious, pompous, and thematically incoherent- it is exactly those qualities that are so emblematic of the Bush years/post 9-11/Iraq War that consumed much of the decade.
Especially when you take into account how much of that pretension and pomposity is deflated by it's sequel (he rides out of TDK a bad ass, ready to take on the mantle of an outlaw for the thinnest of rationales. When we catch up to him in the sequel we find rather than solider on he hung everything up because things "magically" got better- a Neocon fantasy if ever there was one)
There's another good one that captures another aspect of the cultural zeitgeist, but I can't think of it right now. It's on the tip of my tongue...
Even though I thought it was pretentious, pompous, and thematically incoherent- it is exactly those qualities that are so emblematic of the Bush years/post 9-11/Iraq War that consumed much of the decade.
Especially when you take into account how much of that pretension and pomposity is deflated by it's sequel (he rides out of TDK a bad ass, ready to take on the mantle of an outlaw for the thinnest of rationales. When we catch up to him in the sequel we find rather than solider on he hung everything up because things "magically" got better- a Neocon fantasy if ever there was one)
There's another good one that captures another aspect of the cultural zeitgeist, but I can't think of it right now. It's on the tip of my tongue...
08-03-15, 03:57 PM
#20
Re: Which movies represent the 00s and 10s?
Of course, you all realize that the thorough degradation of digital media in the coming decades renders all this moot--since none of these films will survive! Unless, of course, the filmmaker was foresighted enough to keep 35mm copies. And various archives thought to keep working 35mm projectors on hand. 
08-03-15, 04:03 PM
#21
DVD Talk Godfather
Re: Which movies represent the 00s and 10s?
Of course, you all realize that the thorough degradation of digital media in the coming decades renders all this moot--since none of these films will survive! Unless, of course, the filmmaker was foresighted enough to keep 35mm copies. And various archives thought to keep working 35mm projectors on hand.
08-03-15, 04:09 PM
#22
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Which movies represent the 00s and 10s?
Also, film degrades even when properly preserved. And not all films have been cared for as they should.
08-03-15, 04:27 PM
#24
Re: Which movies represent the 00s and 10s?
No mention of found footage yet?
08-03-15, 04:33 PM
#25
DVD Talk Legend
