Recently, the Internet Movie Database offered one of its daily newsletters the opportunity to vote on the best recorded movie of the new millennium. The nominees once again sadly proved that art film in America is currently at an all-time low. Not only did this decade witness the fewest truly great movies of any decade, but it appears to have produced not a single truly popular movie line that would return it to classic status.
The winner of the IMDB title for the best film of the new millennium is the fall in point of the entire creation in place in Hollywood. What was the winner? “My precious” from that insomnia remedy Lord of the Rings. First of all, I think this should be read classic book rather than classic movie. The same line, thus “Forgive them, Father, they know not what they do”, from the Passion of Christ, which is originally found in the Bible, of course, and “With great power comes great responsibility” from Spiderman; first from comic books. “Good night and good luck,” of course, has been with us since Edward R. Murrow first signed it in his message fifty years ago.
As if those quotes weren’t suspicious enough to be a big part of the movie, he named other ambiguous ones like:
“They’re called Ed’s books” by Erin Brokovich.
“Aren’t you a guest?” from Gladiator
“I am a golden god!” from Almost Famous
“Wilson!” from Abjicio
Let me not say this: “The son becomes the father, the father the son.” Does anyone even know what the movie is from? Doubt with Superman returns to obscurity after its first week’s release.
Pity, how many go round towards them? The introduction of a huge movie should be something that saturates the everyday conversation. And it should be immediately recognized by at least a large minority of patrons in the fastest restaurant. For example, if I said “Be a ball” most people would know what the movie was from. Ditto: “And don’t call me Shirley.” Some great movies have been cited, of course, great because of their obscurity.
“Match Me, Sidney” is a horror movie intro, although it is not recognized by a substantial number of moviegoers. But it is especially used when someone wants to assert authority over another. It’s from the movie Sweet Smell of Success and Burt Lancaster says this to Tony Curtis to both draw out Curtis’ character, deepen his sense of self-importance among the other characters present, and get a cigarette lit for him. It is clear that a great film cannot achieve legacy through recognition alone.
Of course, it is very difficult to determine what makes quotes so memorable. It often depends on tradition. For example: “Here I walk!” powers acting by Dustin Hoffman takes center Walker, as well as the surroundings of the scene. Other classic movie quotes derive their status from the fact that they can be used in any circumstances. “I’m going to make him an offer he can’t refuse,” he thought.
And, of course, some movie quotes make it into public debt advertising. I’m back” from Terminus and “Go ahead, make my day” from the Dirty Harry movie Impact written both clearly with the express intention of making a catchphrase.And if you doubt that it can be done, then consider the lengths the filmmakers went to make a draft for a movie that hasn’t even been released yet is already in the public consciousness.
If you go to the American Film Institute and look at their list of the 100 best movies of all time and then compare the nominees to the IMDB poll, it shows how really sad they got. (Of course, some real stinkeroos made it onto that list and some really big sticks stopped.) Even leaving aside for the moment that those nominations were basically the work of one person, we have to admit that he chose lame people for a reason. quotes is because there aren’t many universally recognized quotes from movies made this decade.
If anyone has been in high school school in the past two years, they will tell you if you are going to come up with a list of really great movies from this decade, at least half of which was quoted from Napoleon Dynamite. There can be little argument that Napoleon Dynamite is the most plausible movie since…well, probably because Caddyshack or Airplane. Maybe the problem for the guy who created the headlines on IMDB is that he just couldn’t choose which Napoleon Dynamite quote was the best. Or maybe he just didn’t like it. I will say this, although it is almost more memorable in any place from Napoleon Dynamite than some of the places I mentioned above, and I don’t have them;
“Position and dial” from the side.
Mo cuishle means “my girlfriend, my blood” from Million Dollar Baby.
“Seven days” of the Ring.
It is perhaps unfair to judge five and a half years of film based on one person’s wrong nominations. “Another quote altogether” came in third place in the headlines. I wonder how the outcome could have been different, some of these commas made it onto the list:
“I’ll tell you what he said – he asked me to put a vital exercise paper in my anus!” Donnie Darko.
“It’s incredible.” Napoleon Dynamite.
“I don’t believe in God, I believe in science.” Nacho Libre
A silly Caucasian girl wants to play with samurai swords.” Bill, Vol.
There are others who have been quoted as good, faithful. And because I haven’t seen every movie this decade, I probably haven’t heard some good voices, or when I hear them I don’t recognize them as movie characters. But let’s face it, most of the movies released this decade just don’t hold a candle to the movies from decades past.
Except for my pick for the best movie so far this decade, the authority that came into mainstream use was up there with “Are you talking to me?” or “He’s looking for you, kid.” This is true, in my opinion, and in any near decade. Once upon a time in Mexico: “He who wants nothing is invincible.”
Now that’s a big deal.
