I picked up a copy of Craig Detweiler's Into the Dark: Seeing the Sacred in the Top Films of the 21st Century (2008) at Regent College Bookstore yesterday. It's on sale for half price, and while I've only begun reading, it certainly seems like money well spent. He's a smart man, and I love the fact that he was trained as a film-maker first, then as a theologian. Just as he's willing to let the film speak to him first as a piece of art, then move to analysis.
"I have been trained theologically to move from facts to feelings, from propositional truths to personal applications. But what if we can reverse the process, mirroring the way most people experience film? Can we start with beauty, art, and nature as a way into ethics and even film? In a reverse hermeneutic, can our feelings lead us toward God? I join an emerging cloud of witnesses in undertaking this theological experiment confident that the Spirit will guide us from art (beauty) to ethics (goodness) to theology (truth)."I also like the rationale behind his decision to consider the films which are favourites with IMDb users, rather than the films which might rank higher on critics' lists. Certainly if one expects film to reflect the ethos of its moment - and perhaps, as Detweiler does, to reflect what God may be saying to a culture at a historical moment - the more populist list may be the more telling.
While professional film critics may offer helpful standards to establish a cinematic canon, I choose to elevate the insights of the amateur critics gathered at the IMDb. Just as the early Christian community established the canon of Scripture, so the dedicated film fans of the IMDb sort out the essential from the incidental. Film studies professor Crystal Downing notes how "opinion, or dogma arises out of an interpretive community whose members believe with all their hearts, souls and minds that their shared opinion is truth." We turn to the chaotic world of the Internet Movie Database as our interpretive community. . . . So what does a freeze frame of the IMDb's Top 250 films captured on January 1, 2007 reveal about our tastes, preferences, and religious needs? The frequent users of the IMDb have affirmed forty-five films from 2000 to 2006 as all-time classics. This book will focus on this emerging canon."Here are the 45 films Detweiler considers. The first number following a film's year indicate its placement on the January 1 2007 IMDb Top 250, followed by its ranking today (August 8, 2010). At the end of the post I provide a list of the 21st century films which have been added to the IMDb list in the last three and a half years. [Nine 21st century films have dropped off the list, twenty-nine have been added.] Films in bold type are the primary focus of the chapter in which they are considered.
Chapter 1 - Methodology: Into the Darko
concludes with an example of Detweiler's methodology in action . . . "the cult film for the emerging generation"
Donnie Darko (2001) #103 | #127
Chapter 2 - Memento: Duped in Film Noir
examines the resurgence of film noir . . . memory loss . . . what happens when our autonomous selves lose our frame of reference? . . . a heart of darkness within each of us.
City of God (2002) #18 | #19
Memento (2000) #26 | #29
Requiem for a Dream (2000) #58 | #62
Sin City (2005) #67 | #97
The Departed (2006) #67 | #52
Batman Begins (2005) #88 | #108
Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003) #94 | #135
Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004) #120 | #210
Oldboy (2003) #122 | #112
Amores perros (2000) #141 | #164
Snatch (2000) #195 | #132
The Prestige (2006) #216 | #72
Mulholland Drive (2001) #242 | #244
Chapter 3 - Eternal Sunshine: The Risky Rewards of Romance
examines postmodern relationships via romantic comedies . . . from our darkness and unchecked individualism arises a need for connection. Love can correct our self-deception.
Amelie (2001) #31 | #47
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) #38 | #60
Before Sunset (2004) #190 | No longer in Top 250
Walk the Line (2005) #197 | No longer in Top 250
Chapter 4 - Crashing into the Ensemble Drama: Communities in Crisis
Hotel Rwanda (2004) #59 | #114
Crash (2004) #107 | #221
Mystic River (2003) #180 | #212
Little Miss Sunshine (2006) #234 | #237
United 93 (2006) #238 | No longer in Top 250
Chapter 5 - Talk to Her (and Him and Us): Everyday Ethics
Million Dollar Baby (2004) #78 | #145
Talk to Her (2002) #209 | No longer in Top 250
Chapter 6 - Finding Neverland: Nostalgia and Imagination in History
Downfall (2004) #45 | #81
The Pianist (2002) #47 | #53
Gladiator (2000) #135 | #96
Finding Neverland (2004) #172 | No longer in Top 250
Cinderella Man (2005) #187 | No longer in Top 250
Chapter 7 - Spirited Away by Fantasy: Tending the Garden
Spirited Away (2001) #51 | #57
The Incredibles (2004) #97 | #184
Finding Nemo (2003) #109 | #154
V for Vendetta (2005) #116 | #170
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) #125 | #234
Hero (2002) #168 | No longer in Top 250
Shrek (2001) #183 | No longer in Top 250
Big Fish (2003) #186 | #202
Pan's Labyrinth (2006) #188 | #70
Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005) #200 | No longer in Top 250
Monsters, Inc. (2001) #221 | #243
Pirates of the Carribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) #225 | #219
Chapter 8 - Mnemonic Devices
a study of the IMDb's highest-ranking recent films
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) #4 | #13
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) #14 | #20
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) #20 | #31
PS. The following 21st century films have been added to the IMDb Top 250 since January 1, 2007.
Inception (2010) #3
Toy Story 3 (2010) #10
The Dark Knight (2008) #12
Wall-E (2008) #48
The Lives of Others (2006) #58
Inglourious Basterds (2009) #76
Up (2009) #84
Gran Torino (2008) #93
Slumdog Millionaire (2008) #107
Avatar (2009) #115
No Country for Old Men (2007) #116
District 9 (2009) #124
There WIll Be Blood (2007) #134
Into The Wild (2007) #142
The Wrestler (2008) #147
The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) #153
Star Trek (2009) #166
Ratatouille (2007) #168
The Secret In Their Eyes (2009) #169
Kick-Ass (2010) #179
How to Train Your Dragon (2010) #181
Children of Men (2006) #190
In Bruges (2008) #191
Let the Right One In (2008) #203
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007) #205
Letters from Iwo Jima (2006) #211
Changeling (2008) #246
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) #247
Shaun of the Dead (2004) #248
With regard to the extremely high placement of certain 2010 titles, it's worth noting Detweiler's comment: "The IMDb ratings evolve over time. Loyal fans often praise a director's latest film upon its theatrical release, but as th emovie rolls out on DVD or television, another wave of moviegoers weigh in, often counterbalancing the initial enthusiasm. Over two or three years, the best films find an audience, with ample time for word of mouth to build."
Random Thoughts: Pixar has done well, wouldn't you say? For a foreign film to make the list, it helps if it wins the academy award. Clint Eastwood has done well, wouldn't you say?