the OP asked, "Do we have any movies of the last few years that you think will be relevant in ten or twenty years?". most of what i've seen listed here will lose its relevance by then if it hasnt already. Seabiscuit? Spartan?

You seem to be implying, then, that relevance is universal. But once again, and IMO, relevance changes with audience. What seems relevant to you may certainly not be to another. It goes both ways, obviously, so I don't mean to be confrontational or anything.

Honestly, thus far, only the RINGS trilogy IMO. Some of the listed films here are indeed good but standing te test of time to remain classics 50 years from now. Rings will be remembered.

Traffic
25th Hour
21 Grams
Lord of the Rings

I have to disagree with Gerry. Unless when Van Sant dies there's a sudden appreciation for his work, this isn't gonna be seen by many. I have to disagree also with Donnie Darko unless of course, there are those who have yet to see through it.

...the three Lord of the Rings movies will be well-remembered.

Not only because it was such an amazingly ambitious project that succeeded beyond anyone's wildest dreams (mostly because the majority of people thought no one could do movies based on J.R.R. Tolkien's magnum opus, especially given how miserably Ralph Bakshi failed in his attempt), but also the fact that the DVD home video releases in the Extended Editions set a new standard for excellence that forced everyone else to upgrade their standards for DVD releases.

Most of the people in this thread simply listed their favourite films... which is something totally different from an objective perspective... I mean, seriously: Adaptation, George Washington, Spirited Away? Dream on, folks, you must be smoking something good!

It's probably a given that LOTR is going to be a milestone, but beyond that, I wouldn't venture to guess... especially since we should be looking at things on a global scale, not merely the U.S. market - which is again, something that most people here do...

*stands and applauds*

joins in the applause.

if you hadn't said it, i would have.

i think the question also becomes, what does it mean to 'stand the test of time'? did plan 9 from outer space of all things manage the feat because we all know of it?

on one hand, it might mean that it'll always apply. on another, they just won't be forgettable.

some like it hot might fall under 'always applicable' as it's still funny today and still has a semibelievable storyline. gone with the wind could make it in the other category (or both. i dunno. just giving examples)

one thing i'd be worried about is CG affecting the movie. the obvious CG in spiderman, harry potter (the original) and the new star wars alone should hamper their longterm standing. CG will get better and that is enough for me to date the film.

at the same time, i think that most of the pixars will hold for a fair amount of time. the CG is consistent and pervasive, instead of existing only part of the time. its the mixture of real life and CG that bugs me, not the holding to one side or the other. but i think the ones we will remember most predate 2000. perhaps finding nemo'll make it. maybe the incredibles. not toy story 2 or bugs life.

overall? maybe the matrix. maybe the harry potter and spiderman i say wont last will succeed because they've broken into subjects that are appreciated by tens of millions of people.

sigh. prognostication makes it difficult to supply a simple answer.

Don't know about Adaptation and George Washington, but I chose Spirited Away because it's this first anime film to win the "Best Animation" Oscar. It's like the Velvet Undergound of anime: everyone that sees it becomes a fan and want to know more about Miyazaki and anime in general. It's the first anime movie I've ever overheard both kids and adults talking about at our local playground. It's a true milestone.

maybe I have a different standard than most here. I'd expect to see films that "hold up" after twenty years or so. most of the films listed here lost much of their luster after the second viewing! in order for a film to "hold up" it needs to maintain its universal relevance to the world. many have criticized my list so allow me to qualify it. I believe the films I listed will be held in the same high regard, on an international level, just like the handful of films i've listed below are today.

The Seventh Seal, Wild Strawberries, Umberto D., Ikiru, Diary of a Country Priest, Tokyo Story

I agree. To me, it also not as simple as "what movie is the most popular" or "most quotable". Sometimes movies have a certain something and they just hang around. Every generation, people rediscover it and enjoy it. It may not even be a great work of art, but it strikes a nerve with people when they see it. The best example I can think of is 'The Princess Bride". It wasn't a huge box office hit, it doesn't have flashy direction, a ridiculously inventive script or terrific acting, but I've never met anyone who didn't like it and who doesn't recommend it.

The movies I picked are like that: they evoke a certain response from certain people. They have the ability to mean something to people over the long term. They also had wide enough exposure that many people have seen them. Other movies (like In the Mood For Love) can do the same thing, but not enough people have seen them.

If you say so.

I just want to be entertained.

is that what they taught you at USC?

No, I learned that in grade school, the same day I learned about capitalization.

Edit: I did learn about capitalization at USC too, but that was in regards to finance.

what's the difference? after two years of their graduate screenwriting program, i didn't know whether to frame my master's degree or wipe my ass with it.

EDIT: ultimately, I chose to stick it in a box somewhere. maybe in a thousand years it will be worth something.

I don't really think it's possible to gauge whether something will (or even has) stood the test of time.

I mean I don't like classics, just can't get into them. I won't say they didn't stand the test of time, but rather that they just aren't my cup of tea.

If I like a movie, I'll like it 20 years from now assuming it's one that holds up to repeat viewings. Generally if I like a movie the same or more the 2nd time around, I know it's something that I'll like for ever.

But that doesn't mean it will "stand the test of time" for anyone else.

That seems like the appropriate place for it.

LOTR trilogy is a no-brainer that will be remembered. It is the total package of regarded source materiel, great writing, direction, scoring....

Spider-man is an icon, and both Spider-man movies will be regarded at least as highly as the first two Superman movies.

It's a bit of a long shot, but the Matrix trilogy will be more highly regarded in time as people understand it better...and I'm not saying that you didn't understand it if you didn't like it. I think it's comparable with THX-1138 or maybe Blade Runner.

Some movies will be more highly regarded because of the growing status of thier stars. I think younger leading men like Pitt, DiCaprio, Norton, and Crowe will carry otherwise forgettable films in much the same way that Brando, Pacino, DeNiro, Bogart, etc have. Ditto for the more prominant young directors like Fisher and Singer and established directors like Ridley Scott and Tim Burton.

Pixar can do no wrong, but the Toy Story movies are their most memorable and they came out in the 90s.

My only sleeper prediction at this point is Donnie Darko...and that's a long shot.

what of tim burton will last? nightmare before christmas? i submit nothing he's made as of yet will *last*.

i think nightmare is unique enough that it has a shot. the imagery from his films will leave a big impact but really, even the mega-blockbuster batman has taken a back seat to the spider-man films (and one day they will be overshadowed too). oh btw, the OP requested titles from this decade, 2000 and on.

I think his presentation of Batman may last, a wonderfully dark seedy Gotham City, an equally dark superhero, and a legend like Jack Nicholson in a role so over the top. I'm chomping at the bit to see the new release cleaned up and presented well after all these years. To me it ranks after Superman and above the first Spider-Man movie. As for Spidey 2 having a lasting impression as a classic, it has the fact that it's a sequel going against it, a better movie than the first in the series, even though there are several sequels well regarded such as Superman II, Aliens, Godfather II, Bride Of Frankenstein and I'm sure others I haven't mentioned.

Not that that my contention really anything to do with the OP's thread focus

I'd have to agree. While it's hard to say if it truly wil be remembered as a classic, Miyazaki's films, especially Spirited Away which got a lot of international attention, has a very high chance of being a film that will be remembered. At least in Japan that's almost a definite. In Japan, those Miyazaki films are ENORMOUS, and insanely popular, beyond their critical acclaim. Whether it'll reach that classic status worldwide is something I cannot really say for sure, but it damn well deserves it imo.

Though I think realistically something like Before Sunset or Adaptation are films that quite frankly, I doubt will ever even be seen by a lot of people, let alone remembered as classics by many. Perhaps in certain circles they will be admired, as they should, but popularity is something that does have relevance in a question of this sort. Take many of Godard's films and I wouldn't really call them classics in the sense of the public at large, seeing as a lot of people haven't even heard of them.

I'd say LoTR is really the only choice that seems to be fairly close to a definite future classic.

In the end, it is a question of how you interpret the question. But I'm taking it in terms of mass recognition, not necessarily its impact on those who are more involved with film and study it a little more closely. I think taken from the more broad perspective, a lot of great films would not really make the list as future classics, despite their quality. There's more to this then just quality filmmaking to be quite honest.

Yeah, but you're comparing Spirited Away to other anime films, which is an extremely small niche market. As the world grows smaller, maybe the next few Miyazaki films will find even greater success and will drown out Spirited Away's thunder.

Besides, being successful in a niche isn't exactly the same as standing the test of time. Farenheit 9/11 is the most successful documentary ever, and has more people talking about it and seeing it than any documentary previous to it. Doesn't mean I'd say it will stand the test of time. And actually you probably could have said the same thing about Bowling for Columbine a few years back. It was the most successful documentary ever back then too.

yeah, or maybe less to it.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not a fan either. I was just using him as an example to show that the power of the director/star is often more important than the film itself...in terms of people remembering it.