Mike’s Top Documentaries of the Decade (100-91)
When I first got into film, I somehow decided I was adamantly against documentaries as a medium. Part of it’s an attention span thing — most of the time when I watch a documentary, I get what it’s trying to say within fifteen minutes and the rest of the time it just feels like I’m being beat over the head with the same themes over and over again. I also, for a time, felt like every documentary was the same. They were either about how badly the government and corporations were screwing us and how awful certain issues are, or they were looking back at the Holocaust for the millionth time. So, for a time, I avoided all documentaries unless I had to or if they seemed really interesting.
Though, over the decade, there’s definitely been a real uptick in how many documentaries I see. To the point where I now rank my favorite 15 documentaries at the end of each year. I still, of course, have a preference for certain subject matters over others and do tend to not care about docs others might deem important and essential, but I’m definitely not as dismissive as I used to be about them. So as I rank my favorite 100 documentaries of the decade, the message I’d like to impart is this — people grow. The fact that I’m even doing this list when, a decade ago I’d have scoffed at the notion of it — you don’t have to love everything in order to appreciate everything.
So here are my favorite documentaries of the past decade: (more…)
Mike’s Favorite Original Songs of the Decade: #98 – “Moonfog,” from The Beach Bum
98. “Moonfog,” from The Beach Bum
Oh god, do I love this song. I got so happy in the theater when Jimmy Buffet was on Snoop Dogg’s — I’m sorry… Lingerie’s — boat and improvising/writing this song about Moondog. And then for the full song to be the end credits song — it’s really the best payoff you can get in a movie like this. It’s so perfect for everything this movie is and what it aspires to be. I know not everyone’s into the whole Jimmy Buffet, Parrothead thing (they’re like Juggalos but in khakis and Hawaiian shirts, for those of you who don’t know what that means), but man, isn’t this just such a great song to groove along to? The man definitely knows how to give you that lazy beach feeling, doesn’t he?
Mike’s Top Film Scores of the Decade (10-1)
Film scores are one of my favorite things to listen to and the list of my top ones is one of the articles I get most excited for each year. I put way much more effort into that than I really ought to. I go deep, listening to some scores that I probably shouldn’t even bother with. And it’s because I love that aspect of film so much. The care that goes into all those notes. Think about how many films there are each year and how many have true, dedicated scores to them. Now consider that, despite there only being a handful of notes out there, each of them is utterly unique in its own way. It’s crazy to think about.
So when I was considering lists to talk about for this past decade, this one was one I couldn’t wait to get into. I know most people won’t rush to put a score on, but if you’re gonna go in for one, these are some of the best that have come out these past ten years: (more…)
Mike’s Favorite Original Songs of the Decade: #99 – “When a Cowboy Trades His Spurs for Wings,” from The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
99. “When a Cowboy Trades His Spurs for Wings,” from The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
Ah, yes. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs. Sneaky choice, I know. But also… how many more memorable songs out there are there than this one? You start this movie that you thought was gonna be a miniseries but instead becomes an anthology film, and then here we are with this opening segment that’s just hilarious. And then all of a sudden, after a shootout, this dude just starts singing. And it’s completely ridiculous and hilarious. But then the movie goes all in on the song, which makes the whole thing even better. The beautiful thing about this song is how completely straight the whole thing is played, even though they’re dragging one guy’s corpse out of the street as his soul floats away into heaven, singing this song. It’s incredible.
Pic of the Day: “Playing music is supposed to be fun. It’s about heart, it’s about feelings, moving people, and something beautiful, and it’s not about notes on a page. I can teach you notes on a page, I can’t teach you that other stuff.” (25th Anniversary)
Mike’s Top Film Scores of the Decade (20-11)
Film scores are one of my favorite things to listen to and the list of my top ones is one of the articles I get most excited for each year. I put way much more effort into that than I really ought to. I go deep, listening to some scores that I probably shouldn’t even bother with. And it’s because I love that aspect of film so much. The care that goes into all those notes. Think about how many films there are each year and how many have true, dedicated scores to them. Now consider that, despite there only being a handful of notes out there, each of them is utterly unique in its own way. It’s crazy to think about.
So when I was considering lists to talk about for this past decade, this one was one I couldn’t wait to get into. I know most people won’t rush to put a score on, but if you’re gonna go in for one, these are some of the best that have come out these past ten years: (more…)
