KCUR's Up To Date assembled a panel of film critics to weigh in on The New York Times recently list of "The 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century." The ranking was compiled based on the ballots of Hollywood insiders and film makers around the world.
Jon Niccum, a lecturer at the University of Kansas' film and media department, said that it's not a bad list overall.
"Actually, their top 10 was quite good," he said.
The list heavily favors English films. And although Willy Evans, co-founder of the Kansas City Underground Film Festival, agreed that it's an acceptable collection, it's not very diverse.
"I think you look at the list, there are multiple male directors who have four or five films on the list, but there isn't a single female director that has more than one," Evans said. "You know, I think that there are multiple candidates that are deserving of having more than one film on the list."
Mitch Brian, a screenwriter and University of Missouri-Kansas City film professor, called it premature.
"It's fine if it's for now," Brian said. "Things are going to change."
The 2019 movie "Parasite" won the No. 1 slot in the New York Times ranking. And that was something all of the Kansas City critics could agree on — even if it wasn't their personal favorite of the century.
Jon Niccum's recommendations
"Whiplash"
An ambitious jazz drummer gets into a psychological battle with a cruel college instructor. It’s a perfect collision of hero vs. villain. But which is which? The movie is ranked No. 60 on the New York Times list, but Niccum said it should be way higher on the list.
From the year 2000, "Almost Famous" is Cameron Crowe’s love letter to the 1970s music scene he grew up with. In it, a teenage journalists lands a job with Rolling Stone Magazine. The movie has a star studded cast and won four Academy Awards. It ranked No. 47 on the New York Times list.
This neo-Western thriller set in the 1980s follows a man who can't resist cashing in on drug money he found. Javier Bardem's character plays an assassin sent to recover the money, who often relies on a coin toss to determine the fate of those who stand in his way. The movie ranks No. 47 with the New York Times, and Niccum calls it the Coen Brothers' best film.
In this 2007 drama, George Clooney's title character is an ambulance-chasing lawyer who gets in over his head with a corporate lawsuit. Clayton is up against high-stakes, guilt and doing what's right. For Niccum, the "absolutely riveting" ending puts the movie in his top five, but with the Times it lands near the bottom of the list at No. 93.
"Captain America: The Winter Soldier"
Part Marvel Cinematic Universe, Niccum said it's the best action movie of this period. In it, Captain America, played by Chris Evans, teams up with Black Widow to defeat the Winter Soldier. The movie didn't land within the Times top 100.
Willy Evans' recommendations
What began as a documentary about the victims of mass killings in Indonesia during the 1960s transformed into a shocking exploration of the perpetrators who, in modern day, walk free and take pride in their actions. Director Joshua Oppenheimer seizes the opportunity to have them reenact their crimes in a fictionalized version of their narratives, compelling them to confront their past. It's ranked at No. 82 with the New York Times. "I think it's one of the most incredible, unique, one of a kind films you're ever gonna see," Evans said.
Kitty Green’s masterpiece about an assistant to an abusive Weinstein-esque film producer was unfairly set aside as a movie of the moment. Featuring Julia Garner, this movie brings the legacy of great feminist filmmakers such as Chantal Akerman and Lizzie Borden into the modern day. This movie did not make it into the Times list.
A story about two next-door neighbors who form a bond while trying to understand their spouses’ affair. Wong Kar-Wai’s film may seem enigmatic at first, but it gradually unfolds into something decadent and beautiful. This film dating back to the very beginning of the 21st century lands high on the Times list, coming in at No. 4.
"Weekend"
An unassuming story about two men who begin to fall in love after a one-night stand. One of them is set to move to America after the weekend, so we spend those fleeting days watching them fall for each other, despite knowing it can’t last. This 2011 movie did not make it on the Times list.
"Caché"
An affluent couple begins receiving anonymous tapes, hours of footage of their own home, setting in motion a mystery that gradually unravels into a chilling metaphor for collective guilt. It also did not make the Times list at all.
Mitch Brian's recommendations
Charlize Theron takes the lead in a battle against patriarchy and a struggle for humanity, in what Brian calls the best action movie of this or last century. It uses the language of cinema to create an almost silent film, using visual design, color, practical stunts merged with CGI and hyper-kinetic action to create a breath-taking adventure. Just outside of the New York Times top 10, this 2015 movie comes in at No. 11 on the list.
In a dystopian future where babies are no longer being born, a cynical one-time activist is chosen to deliver the first pregnant woman in decades to safety. One of the first films to look at the post 9-11 world and the creeping fascism, religious intolerance and societal collapse in its wake. The film is directed in sustained, uninterrupted takes, creating and immersive, intense experience. "There is this message of hope underneath all of this sort of misery," Brian said. Despite a less than ideal box office showing, the movie is No. 13 on the Times list.
"13th"
A documentary examining how legal slavery still exists in the prison system, how lobbyists and corporations continue to expand the prison industrial complex for commercial gains, and how the legacy of slavery and white backlash against civil rights and President Donald Trump continues the legacy of white supremacy. Brian said a possible bias against documentaries could have been why the 2016 documentary didn't find it's way onto the Times list. "I think it's something everybody needs to see," Brian said.
A talented singer-songwriter in a profound state of grief after the death of his musical partner can’t seem to get out of his own way during the early 1960s folk movement. A cynical-yet-loving look at the clash of talent, commerce and dumb luck in a way that is typical of the Coen brothers. Find it at No. 86 on the Times list.
