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ericbuscemi's review against another edition
4.0
Most top film lists, such as AFI's list of 100 Greatest Movies, are heavily skewed to older movies such as Citizen Kane and It's a Wonderful Life, which kills my interest in them. As a self-styled modern film buff, I was thrilled to see this "bucket list" focusing solely on the last fifteen years, especially since it was written by a reviewer whose videos I greatly enjoy.
While our tastes don't completely line up -- I can't stand Signs for example -- I understand and appreciate basically every entry on the list, and I've seen thirty-six of the fifty films on it. There is definitely some bias to the list, with true comedies being nearly absent from the list, along with a certain non-flashy subset of dramas such as Milk and Spotlight. The list favors style and innovation over other aspects of film making, but I am willing to accept that slant considering the quality of the films present on the list and the care he took in explaining each choice, which shows how much he truly loves film.
I'm listing the fourteen films I haven't seen from the list below (in chronological order, just like the novel's list) to remind myself which of the films on the "bucket list" I still need to watch: American Psycho, Cache, Zodiac, There Will Be Blood, Trick 'r Treat, (500) Days of Summer, Snowpiercer, Prisoners, Enemy, Under the Skin, The Babadook, Birdman, Whiplash, When Marnie Was There.
While our tastes don't completely line up -- I can't stand Signs for example -- I understand and appreciate basically every entry on the list, and I've seen thirty-six of the fifty films on it. There is definitely some bias to the list, with true comedies being nearly absent from the list, along with a certain non-flashy subset of dramas such as Milk and Spotlight. The list favors style and innovation over other aspects of film making, but I am willing to accept that slant considering the quality of the films present on the list and the care he took in explaining each choice, which shows how much he truly loves film.
I'm listing the fourteen films I haven't seen from the list below (in chronological order, just like the novel's list) to remind myself which of the films on the "bucket list" I still need to watch: American Psycho, Cache, Zodiac, There Will Be Blood, Trick 'r Treat, (500) Days of Summer, Snowpiercer, Prisoners, Enemy, Under the Skin, The Babadook, Birdman, Whiplash, When Marnie Was There.
filmcritic23's review against another edition
5.0
Chris Stuckmann is an amazing film reviewer (of Channelawesome.com) and this book is awesome (no pun intended), with great reviews and visuals of movies from the 2000s. Chris states his favorites and includes a one page description of how this movie has shaped the 2000s. The drawings of each film are also great, which is reason enough to buy the book simply to look at these illustrations. The list of his movie choices in the back along with a box that you can check is also very helpful so you can note which ones you have seen and those you still have to view. I highly recommend reading this book, as well as checking out his reviews on either Youtube or Channel Awesome.
misha_ali's review against another edition
3.0
I would have preferred it if Chris had narrowed down his choices to ten movies and provided more detailed analysis into each movie. This was too shallow for my interest, but it does serve what I assume is the intended purpose, which is to be a to-watch list for me later. However, even in that, I would have liked a handy checklist of some sort that I could refer to in the book or print out instead of going chapter by chapter for each movie title.
dynamitecait's review against another edition
5.0
Chris Stuckmann was the reason that I fell in love with film. I stumbled upon one of his reviews many years ago and he changed my life for the better. His book is another great starter for anyone interested in film! There were so many movies on his list that I hadn't seen yet, and he makes watching them fun and interactive, since the back of the book has the list of movies with a 1-5 star possible rating and check box that you can fill in yourself. He makes your opinions apart of the journey, and I appreciate that. Through this book I have found some of my favorite films of all time, so I really can't thank him enough. I've been Stuckmannized!
joshurl's review against another edition
4.0
As a fan of Chris Stuckmann's YouTube channel and a devourer of movies I may be biased but I really enjoyed this book! It was a fun and breezy stroll through the cinema of the past 15 years. The movies are not really reviewed per se so if you are expecting that you may be disappointed. Instead, the book is a celebration of 50 wonderful films. I have seen 44 of the 50 and enjoyed and/or marveled at the artistry of them all. And after reading this I definitely will watch the 6 that I have yet to see. If you are a fan of movies or potentially looking to expand your cinematic library I think you will enjoy this book!
arkhamrazor's review against another edition
3.0
Not bad but not something that would be worth paying full price for.
Just a list of his favourite films from 2000-2015 with a short piece about why he likes that film for each one. Not many of them contain anything new or interesting being said.
Just a list of his favourite films from 2000-2015 with a short piece about why he likes that film for each one. Not many of them contain anything new or interesting being said.
elinix's review against another edition
4.0
Good collection of essential viewing from the last 15 years, with a couple of surprises snuck in. I also really liked the personal touch in the descriptions, and over all the artwork was gorgeous.
My main issue is that it's unbalanced in terms of genre, there's a lot of science fiction, thrillers, action and horror, and it's short on drama and romance. (Props for the inclusion of several animated titles though.) Also very few female-led films, and without having seen them all I wouldn't bet more than maybe ten of them pass the Bechdel test. That's not to say they are not great films every single one of them, but it just comes of as dude-heavy.
My main issue is that it's unbalanced in terms of genre, there's a lot of science fiction, thrillers, action and horror, and it's short on drama and romance. (Props for the inclusion of several animated titles though.) Also very few female-led films, and without having seen them all I wouldn't bet more than maybe ten of them pass the Bechdel test. That's not to say they are not great films every single one of them, but it just comes of as dude-heavy.
arbearce's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting
His takes on these movies are interesting. Bit sized chapters really let you chew through this book. Definitely a read for film buffs.
His takes on these movies are interesting. Bit sized chapters really let you chew through this book. Definitely a read for film buffs.
elleyeah's review against another edition
5.0
Awesome read from my favorite film critic on youtube. His passionate narrative of his love for films inspired me with my own work as a filmmaker wannabe. My only problem with the book is that Bong Joon Ho was written as Joon Ho Bong. Other than that, I loved it! Will definitely watch some of the films mentioned.