Monday, February 1, 2010

My favorite 20 films of the 2000s: Frost/Nixon

These are my 20 personal favorite films of the 2000s and they are not being ranked according to any criteria, other than I love them. So here they are, in alphabetical order:






Frost/Nixon (2008) It is almost laughable to think that a movie built entirely around a face-to-face interview covering a subject that everybody already knows could be filled with the perfect amount of tension, anticipation and intrigue, but that is exactly what we get from Ron Howard and his re-telling of the David Frost interviews with ousted President Richard Nixon in the 1970s.

What really separates this film from what would be an ordinary affair is the grab you by the throat portrayal of Nixon by Frank Langella, a man who commands the screen every time he is shown, whether it be as the statesman-like President awaiting a question or as the man at his home viewing the garden.

Michael Sheen as David Frost puts on a wonderful performance to complement Langella and we really come to know this man and the toils he went through to pull off one of the biggest stories of his time. That Nixon would ultimately admit to his illegal activities is the climax of the film, but it is the suspense and background leading up to that moment that make this film truly one of the greats.



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